


31 Days of Apex: BloodhoundxReader

by Huntress_ApexLegend



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Edging, Established Relationship, F/M, Family, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Pregnancy, Pregnant Sex, Reader-Insert, Rough Sex, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:41:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 34,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25064050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Huntress_ApexLegend/pseuds/Huntress_ApexLegend
Relationships: Bloodhound (Apex Legends)/Reader
Comments: 27
Kudos: 59





	1. Day 1: Memory

"Elskan?" I look up into those goggles I adore and smile.

"Sorry beloved, I was looking at this old thing." I hold up an old family photo album and wiggle it around for emphasis.

"It's one of those days, love." With another nod they walk towards the couch I'm occupying and sit beside me. The cushion sinks in as they press their full body weight down, I jokingly pretend to fall towards them. I can hear the quiet chuckle eminating from deep within their chest as they pull me close and point to the book.

"I'd be more than happy to listen to the stories behind each picture." 

"I'd love to share." I set the book down with one side of the book resting on my knee and the other on theirs. 

The first picture on the page includes my dad and I sitting on the couch. I'm about 4 in the picture so I'm standing behind him at full height (which I still barely stand over his head even though he's sitting) with my hands tangled in his hair. There are randomly placed 'Hello Kitty' clips and short ponytails wildly and messily scattered on the top of his head. I have a toothy grin on my face, as if I were proud of the mess I've made, while my dad is clearly doing his best to look unamused. Or maybe he really was unamused, it's hard to tell when you're that young but whatever.

"I was such a daddy's girl, he'd let me get away with just about anything." Bloodhound affectionately pats the back of my hand.

"I cannot imagine letting a child do that, it must have hurt." I can't help but giggle.

"Probably, I imagine I yanked his hair in all different directions. He was probably pissed but he always said 'For you, anything'." I blink back the tears threatening to spill, it does not go unnoticed by Bloodhound but they don't press the issue either.

"And vhat about this one, my love?" They point to a picture on the next, I'm sitting cross-legged on the floor and staring off to the side. There's a look of quiet contemplation on my face as I hold my moon pendant against my chest. It's a close up so you can't see below my stomach. 

"That one..." I sigh and bite my lip, "I wish I still had the pendant, it used to bring me comfort. I was in foster care at the time, this was one of my weekly visits with my parents. We went to my favorite park." They rest a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"I apologize if I've upset you." 

"No Hound, it's alright. Things were getting better, being away made me really appreciate being around my family." They nod and rest their head on top of mine. We sit together in silence for awhile, I link my arm with theirs and intertwine our fingers.

"I lost my parents vhen I vas young. My uncle Artur took me in." Artur, Bloodhound's faithful companion, caws from their cage across the room. "Not you, vinur." They chuckle and remove the book from our legs. I straddle their lap and lay my head on their shoulder. Their hand lightly traces my spine, I sigh in content.

"He died protecting me." 

"Oh Houndie-"

"It's an honorable death, he now dines in Valhalla. One day I vish join him." I hum and contemplate how to respond.

"Valhalla, you've told me about that before... right?" Their hand ceases it's movements, I sit upright (while still in their lap) and tilt my head in confusion. They smile warmly, I can't help but trace the various scars that run across their face.

"Valhalla is vhere the greatest varriors are priviledged to dine vith Odin himself. It's said the roof is made of shields vith spears for its rafters. There are many tables for great feasts surrounded by breastplate seats."

"Can you tell me more?" They seem to light up and nod excitedly.

"There are many stories I can share vith you about this, elskan." I press a soft kiss to their cheek and wrap my arms around them.

"I'd really love to hear them."

"Okay, I vill tell you the tale of Ragnarok. It is Odin's purpose for Valhalla." I cuddle up against them and prepare myself to listen. 

The photo album is long forgotten, we barely touched the tip of the iceberg of the memories held within it. I'm not too sad, though, I know there will be another time and place to share my stories. For now, I'm content listening to Bloodhound. They speak with so much passion, it's mesmesizing.

One day I'll look back on a day like today. One day this will be a memory I cherish.

It's weird, we enjoy our time together but before we know it, it's just a fond memory.


	2. Day 2: Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This got a little out of hand but oh well, have some SMUT <3

"I vill shed bloth to honor the Allfather." They wipe the blood off the end of their axe and rest it at their side. I lay motionless on the ground, my breathing is labored and I cough up blood on myself.

"B-bloth..." They 'shush' me and kneel down beside me. Very carefully they take ahold of my gun and lift my arm up, they place the gun down across my body. Then they press a chaste kiss (more like they press my hand against the respirator of the mask but I fully understand their intention) to my palm and lay it over the gun. With one final salute they finish me off with a clean shot to the head from their wingman that was previously resting on the ground beside them.

And for the fifth match in the row, my squad and I get second place to Bloodhound's squad. There is a grand entrance for them when they arrive back at the dropship, Bloodhound bows graciously and scans the room as Mirage cheers for himself. Caustic, their third, pushes past everyone to his makeshift laboratory without any celebratory cheering. 

When the mask turns towards my direction they excuse themself from the conversation Mirage initiated. He huffs in annoyance but lets them go without much fuss. Bloodhound stands in front of me for a moment before they bend down slightly to hook their arms under my thighs. I squeal out in surprise as they lift me up, I immediately wrap my legs around their waist to stabilize myself. The other legends laugh and stare at us, the amusement is clearly written on their faces. My cheeks heat up as I avoid eye-contact with everyone we pass, Bloodhound simply ignores any remarks they make.

They take me to the back of the ship where the legends get their own temporary living quarters. It's basically a small room with a bed for us to rest in when we are being transported back and fourth between HQ and the arena. When we reach their door they kick it in rather agressively, I can tell they are eager to get me alone. With one more kick the door is closed and they toss me onto the bed with a sense of urgency. The tubes from their mask pop off with a hiss, they pull it over their head and toss it aside carelessly.

"Congratulations on your...uh...oh!" They pounce on me and trap me under their body with ease. I turn my head to allow them easy access to my neck. Without a second thought they bare their teeth and sink them into my shoulder, I howl in a mixture of pain and pleasure. They kiss the spot before trailing kisses up to my ear. After nibbling the lobe they push their lips close to my ear and whisper huskily.

"Shall ve celebrate my victory, beloved?" I groan at the implication and wrap my arms around their shoulders. They chuckle and nose at my neck again, I hold them close and wait for them to continue but nothing happens.

"H-hound?" 

"Hmm?" Their breath is warm on my skin, I run my hand through their messy ginger locks and teasingly tug on it. It elicits a small grunt from them, I can't help but moan quietly at the thought of what it does to them. "I have a...proposition." 

"I'm l-listening." They remove themself from my hold and hover their face above mine, it's almost close enough for our lips to touch. I silently beg them to move closer with my eyes but they grin mischievously and take their time to respond.

"A game."

"G-game?"

"Vell, more like a chase." I raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"You want to chase me around?" I can't help but giggle at the thought.

"Like a predator chases their prey..." Then it dawns on me, THAT kind of game.

"What happens if I get away?"

"You von't." Their cocky attitude is a huge turn on for me.

"Let's do it."

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The moon is high in the sky but the trees prevent it from illuminating my path. The darkness is unforgiving and I find myself stumbling over my own two feet. The rustling of the leaves is unnerving in the otherwise quiet forest. Occassionally an owl hoots and cicadas hiss quietly on the trees.

A twig snaps, I immediately turn my head in the direction but I don't find anything waiting in the veil of darkness. I sigh in relief and try to even out my breathing by resting against a tree. After a quick look around I continue forward, another five minutes of absolute silence goes by. I'm beginning to wonder if they are even following me but that thought is quickly dismissed by a low growl nearby. 

I trip over a fallen branch and throw my hands out in front of me to avoid faceplanting the hardened earth. When I look up there's a pair of red glowing eyes fixated on me from in-between two large pine trees. I can barely make out Bloodhound's silhouette as they take a step towards me. Their breathing is ragged and animalistic, they continue to growl as they make their way to my fallen body.

"I told you elskan, you cannot escape-" They stop mid-sentence and kneel down. Their eyes narrow and their pupils are only slits as they gaze intensely at me. "You're bleeding." Their voice is so hushed I almost don't realize what they've said. I carefully touch my face and pull my hand back.

Definitely blood. Must have caught a sticker bush or a branch during the fall, it's only now that I feel the stinging sensation of the cut. I focus my eyes back to Bloodhound, their breathing is still uneven as they lean forward to press a needy kiss to my lips.

"Up." They growl out and extend a hand forward, I take it and let them help me to my feet. As soon as I'm up they push me against a tree. I yelp in surprise as they lift me off the ground and wedge their knee in-between my legs.

"Do you vish to be a sacrifice for the Gods tonight, dearest?" I whimper and stare into their eyes fearfully.

"S-sacrifice?" 

"There is more than vay to honor the Gods my love, tonight ve shall procreate in their honor." My face immediately heats up to a scarlet red, I try to turn away but they grab my chin and force me to look at them. "Do you vish to bear a child for me, elskan?" 

"Y-you want to..." They ease their grip on my chin and gently caress my cheek instead.

"I do." Their voice conveys complete confidence in their decision. My heart feels like it's going to beat out of my chest.

"T-take me..." Without another word they practically tear my shirt off my body along with my bra, my eyes widen in surprise as they are tossed haphazardly away. They grope my chest and tease my nipples with their thumb, I groan and subconsiously grind myself against their leg. I never realized how turned on I was until the lack of friction became painful.

"Hound..." They shush me and trail their partially gloved hands over every inch of exposed skin. I whine as they squeeze my hips and slip one hand further down to my clothed entrance.  
"Did you enjoy our game of cat and mouse?" They step back and gaze over my body lustfully. I slide out of my pants and panties, I watch their eyes scan my body.

"I think so..." I bite my lip, they smirk and, before I can object, they throw me over their shoulder and walk in a random direction. They walk for a minute before we're in a clearing with furs laid out over most of the ground. They put me down carefully and stand over my body, I try not to blush as our eyes meet. I attempt to cover myself up but they shake their head and kneel down in front of me. They set their hands on my knees and spread my legs apart, I turn my head as they lean over my body.

"Beg." It comes out as a command.

"P-please Bloodhound, please..."

"Hmmm?" I bite my lip and scan their face. They just continue to smirk as they wait for a response.

"Please fuck me, Hound!" Their finger traces along my slit teasingly, I bite back a moan. They 'tsk' and press it inside for only a moment. 

"There is nobody around elskan, scream as you please..." I cover my face in embarrassment but they grab my hands and pull them away. Before I can apologize they slam inside, I cry out their name as they start with slow and steady thrusts.

"Fuck, Hound, f-fuck..." They lean forward and kiss my breast, I run my hand through their hair and arch my back. I yank their hair as they take my nipple into their mouth, I moan out and writhe around underneath them. "F-faster..."

"So eager..." They speed up and grip my hips, they squeeze them hard as they begin to pound mercilessly into me.

"Bloodhound..." I moan out and hold them as close as possible. "I-I'm g-gonna..." 

"Cum for me, elskan." Their voice is husky and full of lust. They groan and whisper my name which sends me right over the edge. I squeeze my thighs against them and throw my head back, they rest their forehead against my chest as their thrusts become sloppy.

"You are so beautiful." They trail kisses from my chest to my jaw before pushing in as deep as possible. Our lips meet as an unfamiliar warmth enters my body, I moan into the kiss. When they pull away they rest their forehead against mine.

"I hope I don't disappoint you, Houndie."

"You could never disappoint me, elskan. And think of the bright side, if you don't get pregnant from this ve get to keep trying." I tremble with excitement at the thought of doing this again.

"Hmm...I really like your Gods, Hound. I'm definitely interested in doing this again...regardless of the outcome." They hum in agreement.

When everything calms down they lay beside me and hold me close. We spent the remainder of the night under the stars together. It's nights like these that make everything worthwhile for me. I would love to spend the rest of our days together.


	3. Day 3: Mercy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NSFW because I'm a hoe for Bloodhound. Also, thanks Lunara for the inspiration for this, you dah best!

"I'm ready." Bloodhound nods and corrects their stance, I mirror their movements. 

We're currently at the firing range together, a few of the other legends are practicing their aim with their preferred weapons of choice. We are, however, practicing hand-to-hand combat on the elevated platform next to the light weapons. There's a chance we could fall but we're both equipped to hop on a zipline Pathfinder offered to set up for us. Besides, the thrill and fear gets the adrenaline pumping through my veins. So fuck it, what happens, happens.

"Alright I'll count down from 3." I nod and wait for their signal. When they say go I side step as quickly as possible, it's a bit preemptive but Bloodhound always strikes fast and hard. They never seem to shy away from basically pouncing on their prey to win a fight. I lunge forward to grab their waist to get them off balance, they maneuver around me with such ease. I growl out in frustration and straighten myself out, I avoid a few jabs in my direction before I lose my footing. Before I realize it I'm slipping off the platform, Bloodhound grabs my arm and twists it behind my back. It's both a display of strength and their way of keeping me from falling.

My breathing is ragged and I feel exhausted but I'm not prepared to call it quits yet. I try to slip free from their grip as they drag me back to the middle of the platform. I twist my body and sweep my leg around to kick the back of their knees. They wobble a bit but manage to keep themself standing.

"Damn it, Hound. Go down!" They stay completely silent and grab the leg I used to kick them, I stumble forward and fall flat on my face. I grunt in pain before they let go of my arm, for a moment I think they've accepted their victory. That is, until they press their boot into my back and kneel down beside my body. This time they take both of my hands and hold them behind my back (almost as if I'm about to be handcuffed).

"Do you give up?" I shake my head as best as I can and attempt to roll onto my back. They apply more pressure with their boot to keep me from doing it. 

"Now?" I wiggle around to get their grip to loosen up, they dig their nails into my wrist. I find myself whimpering in pain, I can feel the crescent shape of their nails forming against the now broken skin.

"Fuck, fine! You win, you bastard!" They remove their boot but continue to hold my hands back. I huff out in frustration and wait for them do something...anything. "Hound?"

"..." They let one hand go but before I can bring it close to my body they tie something around my wrists. Once it's secure I can feel both hands on my waist, I try not to shiver. Their touch is cool on my skin, which happens to be slick with sweat and on fire at the moment.

"H-hound?" I whimper and do my best to look over my shoulder. They've angled themself perfectly so I can only catch a glimpse of the beads on their mask. "Bloodhound?" They still don't say anything as they let one hand travel to my ass, I squeak out in surprise as they roughly squeeze it.

"What are y-you doing?" 

"I'm going to make you beg." I feel my face heat up against the cool metal of the platform. They let their other hand slide further down to rub me through my shorts. My hips jerk up and I try to suppress the moan threatening to spill from my lips. I can feel the the warmth pooling in my lower abdomen as my cunt begins to drip. They push their hand against it again, I can tell there's a wet spot in my underwear but I pray to whatever Gods they believe in that they don't feel it.

"Are you okay vith this?" I push my ass back to silently beg for more, they take the hint and slide my shorts down my thighs.

"My, my..." My face turns a deeper shade of red as they help me roll onto my back. I look up into the lense of the mask, I can't tell if they are staring at me or not as they press their thumb against the wet spot on my panties. I tremble with anticipation as rub tiny circles on it.

"H-hound..." They stop and pull my panties down before sliding their finger along my slit. 

"Beg." I bite my lip and shake my head in refusal.

"No." They press two fingers inside and use their thumb to rub circles on my clit, I moan out their name and lift my hips. They speed up until I'm a moaning mess, I find myself writhing around as the coil of heat threatens to snap. I can feel myself tightening around their fingers, as soon as I feel like I'm going to cum they pull their hand away abruptly.

"What the hell?!" I whine out and jerk my hips up again, silently begging for more.

"You said you vould not beg so I vill not give you vhat you desire." I rub my thighs together for any bit of friction. I'm overwhelmed with desperation and I realize something: I want this. I need them to keep going.

"Fuck, fuck fuck..." I mentally reprimand myself and sigh before continuing, "Please Bloodhound, p-please let me cum."

"No."

"Please, have mercy! Just fuck me already!" I growl out and kick my panties off. I part my legs and hope it looks appealing to them. It seems to work as they crawl over my body.

"Vith my fingers?" I shake my head and move one of my legs between their legs. I teasingly lift it and rub it against the noticeable bulge in their uniform. "Hmm."

"P-please, please, please! God, I want you to fuck me! Please!" Their resolve fades away quickly, every movement comes off as desperate now. I love every second of watching them struggle to free their cock, their usually nimble movements are clumsy now. As soon as their cock is free they line it up at my entrance and slam inside, they don't waste a second to move. Their thrusts are fast and hard, I can hardly keep up with them.

I want to say it's merciless but they are giving me exactly what I asked for. The delicious friction of their cock sliding against my warm and wet walls feels better than anything I've ever felt before. My brain is empty, all I can think about is how full their cock makes me feel. Their thrusts slow down, just a bit, so they can slam so deep I can feel the tip hitting my cervix. I let my head fall back and cry out their name, they are growling so quietly it's almost undetectable. Almost...

"Bloodhound, god, I'm so c-close." They use one hand to hold themself up as the other teases my nipple through my shirt. Every pinch and twist brings me closer to the edge. What sets me over, though, is when that hand moves up and wraps around my neck. They apply enough pressure for it to be pleasurable. I choke out a sob as the coil finally bursts, I squeeze around their length a few times. They begin to falter, it's obvious they are getting close now. I'm oversensitive so every thrust makes me whimper and squirm but I do my best to be patient. With one more hard slam inside they stop moving. They fill me to the brim with cum, some of our combined juices leak out together as they pull out and sit in front of me. The mask is tilted forward as if they are looking down.

"A-are you okay?" I'm completely out of breath now, I do my best to calm the fast beating of my heart.

"Mhm." I follow their line of sight and notice the wet spot on the front of their uniform. I blush in embarrassment and apologize profusely.

"I can clean it for you?" They wave it off and help me sit up, they untie my hands and offer me their hand. I accept it and begin to search for my underwear.

"Uh..." They help me look for awhile. I finally give up as Mirage's voice carries across the firing range. 

"What the hell are these doing here? Whose are these?" Bloodhound and I peek over the edge, he's holding up my panties with one finger. He looks up and my eyes widen in horror. Mirage gestures towards them.

"Do you, uh, need these? I-I can bring them up there if you want." 

This is how I die. Embarrassment. 

Before I can say anything Bloodhound ziplines down and snatches them from his hands. Mirage pats their back and smirks when he notices the wet spot on their uniform.

"Nice."


	4. Day 4: Prize

The Paradise Lounge is probably my favorite place to unwind at the end of a long day. A day like today, I've spent over ten hours working with the legends in the new arena. We've been practicing traversing the terrain and we were privileged enough to use snipers on some of the more mountainous regions. Now, though, it's time to kick back and swig a few beers. I might even take a few shots if the evening calls for it.

I'm minding my own buisness when Elliott, better known as Mirage, jumps over the bar to make his way over. He sends out a decoy to serve me my usual and winks at me while he passes by. He continues on to a small stage with a single microphone on it. 

"Alriiiight Legends! Are you having a good time?" Lifeline and Octane whoop while Gibraltar laughs. The rest of us raise our glasses silently, all except for Bloodhound who is sitting in the corner by themself. They are nursing a drink but they don't seem to pay any attention to Elliott, I glance their way occasionally to check on them. It's hard to tell if they are sulking or if they just prefer to be alone. Probably the latter if I had to guess, but it's really none of my business.

"Well, to celebrate our return to Kings Canyon I propose we do something to celebrate!" 

"What kinda celebration do yah have in mind?" Lifeline calls back, skepticism evident in her tone of voice.

"I mean, you know me, crazy amounts of charisma and all so naturally I looove to sing." He pulls back a curtain, behind it is a 55" T.V. hooked up to a karaoke machine. Everything is powered on and ready to go.

"Oooh that sounds like fun!" Pathfinder adds and claps his hands, the sound of metal scraping metal makes me flinch. 

"Zhat would be fun, I'd like to try monsieur Witt." Wattson practically jumps out of her seat, it's not unlikely that she's already reached her limit of booze.

"All right, all right!" Elliott holds the mic out for Natalie to grab but before she does Anita calls out to Elliott.

"So what if we're good? Do we get somethin' for putting ourselves out there?" I nod in agreement.

"You want a prize for being the best singer? Hmmm, alright...let's see...."

"I say we vote after everyone sings and the winner gets to do a badass stunt with yours truly." Octavio twirls his infamous green vial of stim and throws up hand horns with his free hand. I let out a quiet giggle which somehow catches Elliott's attention. He smirks in my direction and points at me. I raise an eyebrow in confusion and point to myself, he simply nods as the legends turn their attention towards me as well.

"Best singer gets a hot date with _____." Before I can protest the others smile and nod in agreement.

"W-wait, what?" 

"Damn, even I'd consider singing for a night with you but nahh. Sorry, chica, singing is borrrring." I roll my eyes playfully (well, I hope it comes off as playful to hide my annoyance) and shrug.

"You know what? Fine, it'd be nice to have a good time." 

"Hell yeah, alright another round of drinks on me. The drunker...drunker-er? I dunno, but it will be better if we're all hammered."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After Wattson's cute, but kinda terrible, performance of 'Bad Romance' everyone started to get confident enough to sing. And by confident enough I mean after we've all consumed plenty of liquid courage. So here we are, listening to Elliott's version of 'SexyBack' by Justin Timberlake. And even I have to admit, watching him oscillate his hips like that almost makes my mouth water. 

I can feel someone's eyes boring into the back of my head, I glance back and catch Bloodhound looking away. After attempting to conceal my blush I stare down at my hands, Bloodhound and I have a bit of a complicated dynamic. We hardly talk, ever, but the way they look out for me in the ring is...well...

Maybe I'm just imagining it though, they are a great teammate regardless of who they are paired up with. They always stick their neck out to revive and respawn their fallen teammates but there's something about the way they touch me. It's so tender and even if I'm bleeding profusely on the ground their touch brings me immediate comfort.

Elliott finishes up his song and winks in my direction, I decide (after another few shots) that I want to sing. I debate with myself what to sing and after much deliberation I make a decision. Ajay is working the machine so I stand up and approach her confidently. I lean forward and whisper in her ear. The music kicks up and I make a point to fan my arms out towards the legends.

"Just wanna say, this is for my peeps who kill each other on the daily. You guys are really something special. I have someone specific in mind for this song and you probably don't know who you are b-but, this is for you." Natalie 'awes' and I tap my foot along with the beat.

𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦  
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥  
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘴  
𝘞𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦

I notice everyone stares down at their feet for a moment which is silly to me because most of the legends are wearing some form of combat boots. Also, I didn't necessarily mean every lyric literally but oh well.

𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘮  
𝘙𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘮  
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦  
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯

I sway gently and search the room for Bloodhound, as soon as I find them our eyes lock. I turn away as quickly as possible and feel my face begin to burn with a blush. There's no way they haven't noticed... so now that it has gotten this far I decide to be brave and give them a small wave. 

𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦  
𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺 '𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯  
𝘞𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴  
𝘐𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵  
'𝘊𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴

Bloodhound is one of the most unique people I've had the pleasure to be around. They don't feel obligated to follow what everyone else is doing and instead stay true to their Gods and their way of life. I commend them for their spirit, their originality and just how badass they are without even trying.

𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵  
𝘋𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥  
𝘎𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩  
𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩  
𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩  
𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘳𝘺

The last line brings a painful memory to the forefront of my mind. Artur was shot in combat and almost fatally wounded, it's the only time I've ever seen them tremble. I assume they were crying but it's hard to tell with all of that gear. I simply gave them an encouraging pat on their shoulder and let them have some space. They thanked me later that day, after Artur was tended to of course. It was so sincere though, I thought my heart was going to burst. They probably heard my heart beating wildly in my chest during it all.

'𝘊𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯  
𝘒𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘴  
𝘗𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘶𝘱 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘯  
𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐'𝘮 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦  
𝘋𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳

𝘚𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦  
𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦

I take a chance to look for Bloodhound again but they aren't at the same table as before. In fact...it looks like they left altogether. Fuck...

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺 '𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯  
𝘞𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴  
𝘐𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵  
'𝘊𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴  
𝘞𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘭  
𝘐𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵  
'𝘊𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴

𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘱  
𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘱  
𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘱  
𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘱  
𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘱  
𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘱  
𝘞𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺 '𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯  
𝘞𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴  
𝘐𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵  
'𝘊𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴  
𝘞𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘭  
𝘐𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵  
'𝘊𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴

𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘱  
𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘱  
𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘱  
𝘞𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦

I'm panting by the time the song is over and there's still no sign of Bloodhound. On the plus side, everybody is cheering for me. I can't help but hug myself nervously.

"That was amazing! If nobody else sings then I'd say you win but...oh! I got it."

"W-what?" The alcohol is slowly wearing off and my faux confidence is diminishing quickly.

"Well you said that was for one of us, why don't you take them out since you win. Sorta?" I scan the room one last time and sigh.

"It's okay," I whisper the next part so only Elliott can hear me, "They aren't here." His expression turns to one of shock, I shake my head and storm off the stage.

"Thanks Elliott, I did have fun but I think it's time I go home." 

"O-okay, bye!" I scurry out of the bar and slam the door shut behind me. I walk towards my apartment, the night air is cool and calming. I find myself relaxing with each step I take. As I'm about to enter the lobby of my building a familiar raven flies from a nearby tree to perch onto my shoulder.

"Hi Artur... What are you doing here all by yourself?" I scratch under his chin (like I've seen Bloodhound do a million times) and look around. 

"He's not alone, vinur." Bloodhound walks out from behind the tree and joins us. They open the door and Artur flies onto their shoulder as I step inside the building.

"I-I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable tonight." I shift from foot to foot nervously as we wait for the elevator together. It 'dings' as it reaches our floor and we step inside together, I still don't dare to look up at them. I reach out and press the button for the 4th floor but they don't touch it at all. Strange...

"..."

"..." Another 'ding' and I walk out towards my door. Much to my surprise they follow me out silently. I grab my keys and unlock my door, when it swings open I stand aside for them.

"Would you like to come in?" 

"Oh yes, thank you." I lead them towards the living room and offer them a seat.

"Elskan I don't mean to make you uncomfortable and I do not vish to stay long. Tonight..." Tonight???

"O-oh okay, what's up then?" Am I sweating? Shit...

"I'd like to take you out." I laugh nervously.

"Don't you do that enough on the battlefield? By the way, Raven's bite makes the cuts sting worse than a thermite burn." They shake their head and chuckle.

"No, ____. On a date, perhaps?" My eyes widen and I choke on air. God, I'm so smooth and suave...

"Y-yes!" I cough and turn my head, "I mean, sure. I'd like that."

"How about tomorrow night?"

"It's a date!"


	5. Day 5: Family

One month

"I love you so much, I know you don't understand that for obvious reasons." A 'coo' is all I get in response from the infant I'm currently craddling in my arms. I sit down on the couch and glance up at the T.V., a highlight of last nights' game is playing. Bloodhound was eliminated early on, which is very unlike them but I know the reason.

This sweet little girl in my arms is the reason why. She's only a month old and wakes up at least three times a night. Luckily for Bloodhound, they don't have to breastfeed. It is unlucky for them to get woken up regardless of that fact. I want to feel bad for them but come on! She's worth every minute of being exhausted, at least in my opinion.

"Pabbi will be home soon, (child's name)." This time she giggles while wiggling her toes around as if discovering them for the first time. It's so precious, I can't help but tickle the bottom of her feet in response. More adorable giggles...

Speaking of Bloodhound, the front door swings open and an exhausted Pabbi trots into the house, I stand up to welcome them (I can't help but glare at their feet though).

"Your boots are muddy, beloved." They backtrack and clean their boots off on the mat before slipping them off.

"I apologize elska, how is my litli kappi (little warrior) doing?" The baby reaches towards the beads on their mask as they shed most of their outer layers.

"Happy as a clam!" 

"Okay, let me go clean up and I vill join you for dinner." Crap!

"I forgot to make something..." They caress my cheek for a moment.

"Order something, ve can stay in tonight. Put on whatever you vant, elska." I nod and rock the baby, she's already half asleep by the time they leave the room. After laying the baby down in her bassinet (handmade by Hound, of course) I pick up the remote and flip through the channels. Nothing really catches my attention so I just lay back and close my eyes. The house is quiet, which I'm thankful for, aside from the water running in the shower. It's soothing in an odd way. I find myself being lulled to sleep, it's hard to fight so I just let it happen.

One year

"Okay, she is just the cutest! How are yah doin' momma?" Ajay throws an arm over my shoulder and pats it. I rest my hand on my lower back and blow air out dramatically. (child's name) is currently crawling around in her fenced in play area, Bloodhound is across the room beside Elliott. I smile tiredly at them and look down at my swollen belly.

"I'm glad Bloodhound decided you could meet her, Ajay. And I'm feeling alright, being five months pregnant and taking care of a one year old is a bit exhausting." She nods and offers me a seat, I happily take it and lean back.

"If yah can't do the time-" I cut her off and smile.

"Don't do the crime, yeah, yeah! If it makes you feel better the sex was definitely worth it." She makes a face as Bloodhound and Elliott join our conversation.

"I agree, the barn (child) is vorth it as vell." 

"Okay I have to ask...are you starting a mini Bloodhound army?" Elliott pretends to be serious, I laugh until I end up crying.

"What's it to yah? I think they make gorgeous babies." Everyone quiets down for awhile as we watch the baby play.

(child's name) crawls towards the edge of her makeshift playpen and sits up, all by herself. And if that isn't enough, she stands up using the sides of it to hold herself up. She takes a couple of steps before falling flat on her butt. I stand up and rush towards her while pointing excitedly.

"Hound, look!" They walk over and hold my waist.

"My strong girl!" They pick her up and toss her (very carefully and close to their body) in the air. I watch the scene unfold before me and end up crying again. This time, though, I cry for an entirely different reason.

This is my family and I love them more than anything. My little girl is growing bigger and stronger every day. She'll be a big sister soon too! Time feels like it's flying but the minutes seem to tick by slowly. All I know is I want to cherish every moment I have with the ones I love the most. 

The Gods have truly blessed us.


	6. Day 6: Noise

I have a rather weird pre-game ritual, one that if most knew you did it they would judge me until the end of time. Not that I care, or should care, because it helps me unwind before going forward into a battle for my life. Besides, what better way to relieve stress (or potential stress) than getting off? In my humble opinion, there is none.

Which brings me here, in my personal quarters on the dropship with the door locked and my pants flung haphazardly across the room. The other legends usually spend their time talking in the common room, which just so happens to also be where the drop pods are. Not that it matters, they are far enough away that I can make some noise. Usually it's just whimpers and whines as my fingers twist inside of my wet, warm heat. It leaves me mindless and in total ecstasy, so I can't really control the noises.

If I'm lucky enough my faithful companion will help me out. Today isn't my lucky day, however, so I simply enjoy my own company. My shirt is pulled above my plush stomach and over my plump breasts as I pinch my nipple between my thumb and pointer finger. I roll it around and let out a shaky breath as my other hand snakes towards the waist band of my (f/c) lace panties. I move it over the damp spot right below my entrance and push them aside to slip a finger in. I teasingly circle my clit as I give another hard tug on my nipple. This time my moan is more audible but still controlled.

Unlike the squeal/moan that leaves my mouth when some turbulence makes me press into myself as I yank my nipple hard. There's no doubt in my mind that everybody heard that noise. My suspicions are confirmed when there's rapid knocking on my door and a concerned Bloodhound speaks through it.

"Elskan, is everything alright?" I let go of the abused nipple and pull my shirt down. After wiping my hands off I rush to the door and crack it open. The beads on the mask are barely visible as they tilt their head to look at me through the crack.

"H-hey Houndie." I give them a toothy grin and open the door enough for them to side-step inside. They look me up and down before their eyes move to where my pants are discarded. I can practically feel the shit-eating grin I'm sure is etched onto their handsome face right now.

"I thought you vere hurt." I roll my eyes playfully and smirk.

"I will be if I don't finish." They pull their gloves off and push me towards the small bed, I happily oblige them by throwing myself on it. I waste no time to kick my panties off and plant my legs open. They effortlessly kneel between them and tease my entrance by pressing two fingers between my folds. Their fingers barely press against me as I arch my back and silently beg for more.

"Your silence is unappreciated, elskan." I let out a shaky breath and moan quietly, they nod in approval and thrust their fingers just a little bit deeper. When they start rubbing gentle circles on my clit I start mewling in pleasure and begin to writhe around. My mind goes blank as the warmth in my stomach gets hotter. My release approaches quickly with the work of their skilled fingers.

But my luck today must really be shit because the alarms ring throughout the ship to indicate that we all have to be on standby for the game. Bloodhound pulls away and quickly cleans themself off before pulling their gloves back on. They toss me my pants on their way out and spare one glance back.

"Hurry elska, you do not vant to let your squad down." I throw my head back and groan angrily before deciding to gear up for the game.

This isn't over, I'm going to hunt them down in the game and have my way. If not I'll help myself in a remote corner because one way or another I'm going to get off.


	7. Day 7: Mask

Bloodhound is the most popular legend, by far. Even Mirages' antics can't compete with the infamous hunters mystique and unique appearance. Though, they never intended for it to make them popular because their skill speaks for itself. They are traditional, that's all. At least, that's what they've told me. 

I'm not even sure why they told me that. We aren't friends, I hardly interact with any of the other legends because I'm just the 'copycat'. 

I'm the one trying to copy them, to hide my face and body for popularity. I don't even bother to explain myself, to tell them all why they are all so wrong. I can't speak for Bloodhound but I am, in fact, hiding something. It's not all physical either, I have zero self-confidence to go along with it. And as if the scars weren't enough...

Though I can rightfully say I'm skilled. By no means should I be compared to Bloodhound, but I am a damn good sniper. I'm quiet and discreet yet merciful and caring, I don't drag my kills out for the fun of it. 

I hate watching people suffer and I don't enjoy being intimidating so my uniform is the perfect blend to cover every inch of my skin and still have a sense of practicality. To cover my face I wear a black neck gaiter with a pair of dark lense goggles, the only skin visible is the left half of my forehead. My hair is kept up in a high pontail with side-swept bangs to help cover the scar running through my eyebrow on the right side of my forehead. The rest of my uniform is basic, a long-sleeved black bodysuit with black cargo pants and a pair of combat boots. I know it's plain which confuses me as to why people draw any comparisons to Bloodhound but...it is what it is.

And normally I can deal with it but being shunned by the other legends makes me painfully aware of my shortcomings as a person. I'm not special, I have nothing worth hiding when it comes down to it. If people saw me they would be sorely disappointed so I can't back down now. Which is why I spend most of my time here, in the firing range. 

Currently, I'm practicing with the Kraber. It's not an easily aquired gun but I enjoy getting the chance to hone my sniping skills with it. Besides, it's the coolest damn gun in the game (at least to me, but I'm a sniper through and through). I lay quietly on the platform where the new charge tower has been implemented (for practice purposes, of course). My sights are aimed down on the target dummy that's the farthest away from me. I aim high to account for the drop rate and squeeze the trigger, the gun kicks back into my shoulder with a soft 'thud'. This is the last bullet in my clip and my shoulder is already aching from it but I ignore it. I reload the clip, flip on the safety and carefully rest the gun on its side so I can assess the damage done. My boots scrap against the metal before kicking into the sand.

I hurriedly make my way to the dummy before someone takes ahold of my arm rather agressively. It's someone I've never seen before, it could be one of the thousands of workers that keep the games running smoothly. That doesn't matter though as his friend comes from behind and pulls my other arm behind my back, rendering it useless. I try my best to kick my feet but it just throws me off balance as they drag me out towards the center dummy.

"Alright, time to see what you're hiding." I struggle harder and wail out as I headbutt the guy behind me. The other guy yanks the mask off, pulling out some of my hair with it. I yelp out in pain and whimper, I feel so exposed. My pale skin is littered with scars that pass through each other in random directions. I chew on my lip nervously and pray to whatever God can hear me that nobody else can see this.

"Eck, tie her hands up so I can get a picture." The guy behind me kicks the back of my knees, as he takes my other arm from his friend and zipties it behind my back. I fight back the tears as the first guy pulls out his phone, his buddy holds my head back by my hair to get a better angle on my face.

"P-please, don't." The camera clicks a few times and flashes, once he's satisfied he stuffs it in his pocket. The second guy clicks open a pocket knife and cuts the band on my goggles, I cry out again for them to stop.

"I might consider deleting these if you would do me a favor, sweetheart." His honeyed tone makes me sick to my stomach as his friend starts cutting through the fabric of my bodysuit. He doesn't stop until both of my arms and the top of my breasts are on full display, I glance down at the scars and hope upon hope that they don't comment on them.

As he's about to unzip his pants he's yanked back by his shirt. My vision is blurred with the tears threatening to spill over but I can clearly make out Bloodhound tossing him aside as if he was weightless. I try to turn my head to hide my face as the second guy uses his foot to hold me down against the ground. I cough and sputter as I inhale some of the sand. I desperately sit back up once his boot is no longer digging into my spine and stare up into their mask. Another coughing fit comes on as they kneel down behind me to cut the ziptie. Without hesitation I hug my hands close to my body and sob uncontrollably.

"You, y-you...saw..." 

"..."

"T-thank you Bloodhound, but please d-don't tell anyone what I look like." They hold the mask out in front of me, I quickly pull it on and search for the broken goggles. I examine them briefly before tossing them aside and stand up to leave but Bloodhound rests their hand on my shoulder to keep me from walking away.

"Perhaps you could follow me."

"U-um, I should g-go." I whisper the next part, "I need to find something to cover my eyes."

"Do you trust me?" I open my mouth to respond but swallow it back and sigh.

"You helped me so, y-yes, I do." They hum and hold a cloth in front of my face. I nod in understanding as they use it as a blindfold and link my arm with theirs.

"I vill guide you." I nod again and exhale loudly.

"Okay, I trust you." 

It's the most excruciating five minutes of my life, going somewhere with a mysterious stranger while blindfolded was not on my bucket list but it's better than the alternative.

I can hear the creak of the hinges on a door and I'm immediately hit with a cool burst of air. There's a fan somewhere in the room humming quietly as it oscillates from side to side. No room I've been to has one, as far as I can recall, so I get just a bit more nervous. 

"Open your hand." I shakily lift my hand and hold my palm out towards them, at least in the direction their voice came from. They place something rubbery in it, I use my fingers to run over it and figure out, rather quickly, that it's a replacement pair of goggles.

"Are t-these yours?" 

"I can spare them, now I vill turn away-" 

"W-wait." They hum and I close my hand around the goggles. "You can look..." 

"I do not vish to make you uncomfortable, felagi." 

"Please?" I barely whisper, when they don't respond I pull my mask off and untie the blindfold. Without letting my eyes wander I lock eyes with their goggles and smile nervously. After pushing my bangs behind my ear I shift from foot to foot and wait for them to say something.

"You can ask about..." I gesture towards the scars and they shake their head.

"It is not my place to know." I contemplate what to say for a moment before stepping closer, I let the few rays of light in the room shine across my face.

"What if I offered to tell you, it might be nice to get it off my chest." They nod and I assume they scan my face but the mask makes it hard to tell.

"My father, he was an alcoholic. He knew I was, erm...depressed..." I look away in embarrassment, I assume they are judging me but I continue anyways," He said if you won't do it, I will...hence the scars. I know it's stupid but I can't look in the mirror without thinking how much of an idiot I am. Maybe I deserved it..." I shake my head and chuckle nervously.

"Nobody deserves such a fate but your scars are fitting for a varrior such as yourself. It shows strength." I can feel the heat rushing to my face and move to put my mask back into place but I stop abruptly.

"W-what are you doing?" 

"Leverage, I vill not tell your secrets if you do not tell mine." They unclasp the respirator tubes with a 'hiss' and pull their mask over their face. My jaw drops as I trace over inch of their skin with my eyes, I hesitantly step forward and reach my hand out. I stop myself just in time, I so badly want to touch their face. The scars look like cracks in their skin, as if one good hit could shatter them.

"I inhaled something akin to a cryogenic mist vhen I vas coming-of-age." I inhale sharply and nod, still fixated on their face.

"You're still gorgeous, or b-beautiful or handsome...whatever you prefer." My face burns a deeper crimson and I pull my mask up to cover it the best I can before pulling the borrowed goggles on.

"Thank you." 

"And just so you know, I'm not copying you. I could never be as cool as you." They follow my lead and set their mask back on after sending me a smile that sends (good) chills down my spine.

"I know."

"Do you think we could," I twiddle my thumbs and look down, "be friends." At the exact moment I finish their companion, Artur, flies through the apartment and lands gracefully on my shoulder.

"I vould enjoy that, vinur."

"So, I'll see you around?" My tone is hopeful, they chuckle and nod. I still don't look directly at them.

"Tomorrow, ve can train together." 

"I'd like that a lot..." I hug myself and realize my arms are still bare. "Could I borrow a-" Before I finish they nod and retreat to another room. They come back with an oversized t-shirt.

"Thanks." 

"You're velcome, vinur."

Vinur...I like it. I hope this is the start of something great.


	8. Day 8: Healing

"Pabbi, can you tell me the story of Eir?" They don't even try to hide the surprise on their face as I peek around the corner.

"How do you know about her, little one?" 

"Mamma told me! Mamma said you use to tell her all of these stories when you were dating." They nod and pat their thigh, our son happily runs to them to be lifted into their lap.

"Can I join? You know she's my favorite." I step into the living room, the light from the burning logs in our fireplace illuminates them perfectly. They look cozy as our son cuddles into them, I smile at the cuteness overload.

"Of course, elska. Now," They run a hand through his hair, "Eir is a handmaid of Frigg, and a Valkyrie appointed by Odin himself."

"Odin?" 

"Ah, remember ve talked about Valhalla?" (child's name) eyes light up with recognition as he nods excitedly. "Odin is the one who chooses who is allowed to enter." 

"That's so cool!" They hum in acknowledgement and pet his head while beckoning me over. I sit on the armrest of their chair and lean towards Bloodhound, they wrap one arm around my waist.

"Listen quietly now or I vill not tell you about her."

"Yes Pabbi, I'm sorry." They brush it off and pat his back reassuringly.

"She joined her sisters, the other Valkyries, in battle but she vouldn't fight alongside them, per say. See, she vas a healer so she got to chose who vould live another day and who vould die in battle. On a lighter note, it is said she oversees childbirth so she vas there the day you vere born, my young varrior." At this (child's name) claps excitedly and giggles.

"Oh, I remember that. I almost punched you for praying so much. Looking back, it was silly of me but that pain...whew!" They squeeze my hip and turn towards me for a moment before giving our son their attention.

"It vas a day of great pain and joy. But perhaps that is a story vhen you are older, child."

"Much older." I add, Bloodhound chuckles before continuing with their story.

"Her healing methods vere tradition, she used medicinal herbs and performed rituals vith a vhite flower known as the Eirflower."

"Named after her?" 

"Correct. And she is a healer of great importance, most call upon her for help in their time of need. She is thought to live on a sacred hill known as Lyfjaberg vith many other healers. She devotes herself to her practice."

"She sounds really cool, Pabbi. I want to be that cool!" I smirk and reach over to pat his cheek.

"She is my favorite but I have a feeling you might relate better to Loki." Bloodhound tilts their head towards me and playfully slaps my thighs.

"Do not jest of such things, he has yet to cause trouble like his Mamma." I roll my eyes and press a soft kiss to their forehead.

"But you love me." (child's name) jumps off their lap and walks a few feet away. He points and makes a face at us as Bloodhound presses a chaste kiss to my lips.

"That I do, elskan min, that I do."

"Ew." I laugh and stand up before picking our son up, he wiggles around in my grip but I hold him close in a hug.

"And I love you, now I'm gonna go finish up dinner. Maybe you can ask Pabbi about Loki." He squirms from my grip and races back to jump into their lap.

"Tell me, tell me, tell me!" 

"Look vhat you've started, my beloved." I glance back as I head into the kitchen.

"You know you love it!"


	9. Day 9: Weapon

I've been a legend for quite some time now, but the thing I yearn for the most (besides being a champion, of course) is my very own heirloom set. Lifeline, Octane, Bloodhound and Pathfinder have one. Heck, even Mirage does and it's both hilarious and painful to get hit with. I'm not a particularly popular legend yet though and I haven't hit the rank of Apex Predator so it will be awhile until I get one, IF I even get one. Still, I like to dream about something badass.

I'm currently in my shared dorm with Bloodhound, they are quietly assessing their gear for damage and cleaning off Raven's Bite. I keep glancing over their shoulder to get a glimpse at the axe, they never let me touch it because of how important it is to them. They told me a few months after we started dating that it was the last gift their Uncle Artur gave to them before he passed away so I can't blame them for being so protective of it.

"Can I help you?" I'm startled out of my thoughts before stepping aside. I pull up a chair to sit beside them and hum quietly.

"I was just thinking about Raven's Bite. What do you think would be a good heirloom for me?" They seem to contemplate this for awhile before setting their beloved axe on the workbench.

"Vell, start vith your skills. You are a healer, much like Lifeline."

"She has shock sticks! I mean, that's fucking cool and all, but completely unrelated to healing, Houndie." They 'tsk' as I cover my mouth and smile apologetically.

"So vhat is something you enjoy? Do you have anything you hold close?" All I can think about is my old family photo albums and a few small trinkets. Sure, I have cool keepsakes but nothing that would necessarily look cool when I use it to bash someones head in.

"I like music but again, Ajay has drum sticks so I don't want to be a copycat."

"Cats don't copy anything, elska." I roll my eyes playfully as they return to their work. We sit in a long comfortable silence while I think about a few options.

I do have a fondness of music, especially of the rock-and-roll variety. But like I said, it's unrelated to my skills and I feel like my heirloom should be a reflection of me. What I enjoy the most AND what I excel at. It's not possible to excel at listening to music...

"Besides elska, I thought you loathed hand-to-hand combat." I grunt in annoyance but nod.

"Yeah, you're right. So I'd get something with some range, maybe something like...nunchucks! Oh man, that would be awesome!" 

"Not very practical unless you are in a one versus one situation." I groan and rest my head in my hands.

"Why are you so right all the time?" They let out a quiet laugh and place a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"You should not dwell on something that is yet to come."

"Just make one suggestion, please? You know me so well, Houndie!" They sigh and turn their undivided attention towards me once again.

"Perhaps a knife." 

"Well-"

"Yes I am avare Octane has one, but a throwing knife. Something in-between Wraith's Kunai and Octane's butterfly knife. It would be efficient and if you practice it vill give you some range."

"That's actually a fantastic idea! Will you teach me?" 

"Vhen our training schedules sync up, sure." I groan and lean back in my chair.

"I don't know if I'll ever make 'Apex Predator' status, you guys are so hard to go up against." They simply pat my thigh and hold my hand for a moment.

"You'll have to vork harder then, elskan min. Now please, let me finish this." They press a soft kiss to my knuckles and gesture towards their workbench. I nod and sigh in defeat as I retreat to our shared bed. I roll around for awhile and wait (im)patiently for them to finish up. It feels like hours pass by as I stare at the ceiling but everything is alright when they crawl into bed with me. I cuddle up beside them and caress their cheek lovingly.

"Thanks for trying Houndie, I know it's not important but I like to think about it, y'know? What it would like to be a legend like you." 

"You are perfect the vay you are, your status doesn't define you beloved."

"I know, but will you seriously teach me to use throwing knives?" They close their eyes and exhale loudly.

"Alright, tomorrow in-between lunch and the match. You better not be late..." They trail off into a yawn and stretch out a bit, I curl beside them and huddle even closer to their body (which almost seems impossible). 

"You're the best."


	10. Day 10: Truth

The truth is, I'm scared.

But my façade is one of grace and composure. You know what they say, fake it 'til you make it. 

So here I am, clutching my R-99 tightly to my chest with my precision choke triple take hanging on my back (safety on, of course). My backpack is full of a bountiful amount of spare ammo and both of my guns are 'locked and loaded' (a phrase Bangalore taught me). 

This time, though, I'm alone. The rookie squadmate I had barely made it out of the preliminary round and died before the first ring even began moving. My other squadmate, Octane, is miles away 'scooting and looting' while I'm stuck here, hiding away from the most renowned hunter in the Outlands: Bloodhound. They've been sneaking behind us (me), for who knows how long, and as soon as Octane bolted off they made their presence known.

Normally it would seem odd but the dynamic between us has been changing lately. Their hunts have turned into a game of cat and mouse with me, I know they could have taken me down eons ago but here I am...simply pretending I could outrun them.

The familiar sounds of electricity sparking and a beastly growl indicates the use of their ultimate ability: Beast of the Hunt. I exhale loudly and try not to panic as I run through the muddy waters of the swamp after finally leaving my dark corner. The sloshing of the water against my boots is drowned out by my fast breaths and panicked squeals as they get closer. I can feel the energy radiating from them when they are about a foot behind me and, without much effort, they lunge forward. I lose my balance and drop into the murky water gracelssly. It splashes around me as my clothes get soaked through, they press their boot against my back in a way that seems like a self-proclaimed victory.

They release me and grab my arm to haul me up, I tiredly lean into them and let them drag me into one of the nearby torn down shacks. There are holes littering the ceilings for easy access to the roof, I look up through them at the light poking through as they drag me up one set of stairs. I have a limp from the ache in my heels from running for so long...

Everything is still silent, even my comms have quieted down from Octane's normal chatter. They set me down and toss my guns aside, I let them take the R-99 without a fight but it's more of a struggle to get the strap from my triple take off my back. Once they are scattered across the platform I look up into the eyes of their mask, the red glow from within the goggles is dying out as they kneel beside my sitting form. They gently caress my cheek with one hand, which throws me off guard, as their other hand rests on their trusty axe: Raven's Bite.

"Your squadmate left you vulnerable by yourself." I laugh, it almost sounds hysterical, as they hold up the axe.

"You're telling me." Fear is pulsing through my veins but I wear a brave face. I can't help but glance between the blade and their mask, my heart is pounding in my chest and feels defeaning in the otherwise quiet house.

"It is a shame, indeed. You are much too skilled for such a fate, but everything is as the Allfather intended." I stare at them like a deer in the headlights as they pull the axe back. A swift swing and I'm laying on my side with it lodged in my neck. I sputter and cough as blood spurts from the wound, it travels up my throat and dribbles down my chin simultaneously. I cough and the blood splatters against the front of their uniform. My vision is fading fast and I grasp anything I can get ahold of as my brain goes blank. I'm clutching their arms as the suffering is finally over.

Which brings me here, in the medical ward of the games' headquarters. The laceration from Bloodhound's axe is completely gone, minus the nasty white scar that leads from the front of my neck to the back. If they would have swung at me again I would have surely lost my head and I'm not sure modern medicine could have brought me back from that. Even with our advanced tech, there's still limitations on what can be healed.

To say the least, I'm very lucky. But my relief doesn't last long as I stiffen in fear, my nerves feel frayed as my heart rate increases significantly (as proven by the monitor I'm attached to). Bloodhound stands in the doorway and politely gestures towards the chair beside my bed, I nod and they sit down. They seem to contemplate what to say so I break the silence before they can.

"I'm fine, if that's what you're worried about." To prove it I turn my head to bare my neck to them, I gesture at the new scar.

"I apologize, I got a little carried away out there." I shake my head and sigh.

"Honestly Bloodhound, I expect nothing less when I'm being hunted by you. But I have to ask, why didn't you kill me out in the open? You know, in the water where I had fallen?" There's an air of tension growing in the room, I shift uncomfortably in the bed and glance between them and my hands. They stand up abruptly and close the door before standing beside my bed. I wait nervously, for what? I'm honestly unsure but they always seem so imposing even when I know they aren't trying to be.

"I'm avare ve haven't spent much time together, but I am..." They huff out, a quiet sound of frustration, and do some awkward hand motions.

"Language barrier?" They nod and point to my heart.

"I think the word is...infactuated?" Any fear dissolves into thin air as I let out a quiet giggle.

"The apex equivalent of beating up a girl you have feelings for is lodging an axe in her neck?" They chuckle and shrug, I notice they look ready to turn away but I grab their gloved hand. I use my thumb to caress their ill-defined knuckles and sigh. If only they didn't wear so many layers...

"I'm not saying I'm not interested, just...surprised. I thought you really just wanted me dead, you always seemed to target me regardless of our situations."

"I may be competent as a hunter but perhaps I am not well-versed in the vay of romance."

"If I'm being honest? I'm not suprised but I am honored. Now this is the part where you ask me out on a date?" I stare up at them questionably and tilt my head.

"Oh, of course. Vould you like to join me for a walk in the forest?" 

"Definitely an interesting first date but I'm not opposed to the idea. Let's do it!" I smile up at them and lay back against my pillow. "Now let me rest, I just got out of a high speed chase and my muscles are sore." They only nod and walk to the door. I close my eyes as they leave and smile blissfully.

Truth be told, I never expected this.

And I'm more than okay with that because it's more than I could have ever imagined.


	11. Day 11: Shield

"Legends, the dropship will be departing in 10 minutes. Retrieve your squad assignments from the bulletin board outside of the dropship doors and gear up together before entering. No outside weapons are permitted, aside from the authorized exceptions." 

Another day in paradise, but I suppose there are worst professions than being a legend. An office job? Out of the question, I couldn't handle the confinement. Not that the round three or four ring isn't suffocating, but it's all over rather quickly. And I've already come to terms with winning and losing, I'd rather just give it my all and accept the outcome. 

I shake the thoughts away as I grab my jet pack for a safe landing and attach the straps around my hip. Afterwards I gather with the other legends in front of the holo screen for my squad assignment. This time around I'm paired up with Mirage and Octane, a duo infamous for screwing around at the worst moments. Both are friendly by nature, which I'm incredibly grateful for. Working with someone like Caustic keeps my nerves on edge but at least he's serious when he needs to be. But these two clowns? They keep things light while goofing off and running head first into danger. But what's a bloodbath without a little fun?

At least we won't actually die. Probably.

"Heyyy _____! You ready for a good time?" There's that infamous wink and finger gun combo only Mirage can pull off.

"Only if you can keep up with me." I laugh and glance at Bloodhound who looks on with vague interest. Mirage feigns hurt and holds his hand over his heart as Octane races over to join the conversation.

"Woah hoo ooh, sounds like a challenge compadre!" He slaps Mirage's shoulder while he fixes his hair and smirks.

"I'm not one to shy away from a challenge so give it your all, babygirl." I roll my eyes playfully and beckon them to follow me. We enter the dropship and lounge around while all the legends gather their squads and prepare to go. Once everyone is settled in I wave the two 'numbnuts' (as Bangalore calls them) away and approach Bloodhound. They are sitting quietly in their designated space with Artur hopping around on the table in front of them. He caws to alert them of my presence and I lovingly scratch under his neck. 

"Keep an eye out for this one, they are trouble." I joke and sit beside Bloodhound, Artur caws again as I pull a treat out of my pocket and offer it to him. I drop it on the table by his feet before he can peck at my fingers.

"You are both brats." Artur tilts his head before hopping down onto my knee. He begins to preen himself.

"You love us, Houndie." I surprise myself as it comes out of my mouth, we've been dating for quite some time but we've never said that to each other. I try not to pressure them or make them uncomfortable, which is easy to do because they have limited experience in the 'dating department'.

"Hmm." They hum in acknowledgement and we wait out the rest of the time in silence. 

The siren finally blares and I pat their thigh before holding my finger out for Artur to hop on. He obliges me and I quickly nuzzle his head. With one last loud chirp he hops off my finger after I set it beside Bloodhound's shoulder.

"Good luck today Bloodhound. May the best competitor win." They nod as I stand up to regroup with Mirage and Octane. We line up on the platform and Mirage declares himself the jumpmaster as the announcer's voice cuts through the conversation.

"Welcome back to Kings Canyon, you are permitted to drop at any time and the hot zone is highlighted on your holo maps. Good luck to all the competitors today!"

"Hot drop is in cages, you in?" I glance at Mirage and shake my head.

"Are you scared, chica? I thought you were brave." I growl out and sigh in defeat.

"Fine, do what you want. I'll still show you up." And with that he pings 'the cage' and giggles into our comms. I roll my eyes and bend my knees as we get closer, once Mirage jumps out Octane and I follow suit. I twirl in the air and make a heart with my hands at the drone that zooms by, Mirage does his 'decoy tango' and Octane pulls out a selfie stick (where the hell does he keep that thing?)

Once we're done showing off to one another we ping separate areas. I choose to go to the very bottom and start with the two supply bins outside of the doors. I run around in a hurry as the sound of more jet packs echo around me, there's at least two other squads with us. Luckily enough for me I find a longbow and a mozambique with hammerpoints. I sigh in relief as I check my surroundings, everybody else seems to have landed elsewhere although they are still in the general vicinity.

"Um ____, Bloodhound's jumping down. I don't think they found anything but I did get a solid punch in." 

"Copy that." I step inside the building and notice a level four body shield in the corner. It just so happens that Bloodhound ziplines down and slams the door on the adjacent wall open. They spare a glance my way before following my line of sight to the body shield. Without thinking it through I toss them my longbow and gesture towards the body shield.

"Take it, now!" I talk in a hushed voice so Mirage and Octane don't hear me, they hesitate for a moment before Artur flies off their shoulder and circles the loot. I double back out the door before they get the chance to do or say anything and zipline up to the fight going on above me.

"Tavi, we're gonna get double teamed. _____, what the hell are you doing?" 

"I'm coming Elliott, calm your tits." I jump from the zipline onto the platform and open the door, Octane is literally running circles around poor Wattson as her teammates shoot at all of Mirage's decoys (which are copying his movements, a new improvement he made to his tech for the new season).

"Oh they are sooo calm!" He squeals out as a longbow shot whizzes past his head, I can't help but giggle at the girlish scream.

As I'm laughing Bangalore jumps down to help Wattson, she shoots out a smoke screen which sends Wattson barreling in my direction. As soon as she sees me she pulls up her R-301 but I unload a whole clip into her. She has a shield so she's probably at half health (which is just my luck). I use the door for cover and back away as I reload. She takes the opportunity to barricade herself in with an electric fence. Just as I think things are calming down another longbow shot hits Mirage. He goes down around the corner, I contemplate what to do as Octane runs out and throws a jump pad down. Mirage crawls to it and ends up behind the rocks near the respawn beacon. 

"Good call, Tavi. I'll meet you guys-" I take the zipline back down as the door above is kicked open. I hear shouting as Bangalore and Wattson peer down at me, the other team must have ran in all the confusion. I stare up at them and take the risk of jumping off the zipline. With a sickening crack I crumple to the ground and stare at my ankle. It's bent at an awkward angle and I cry out in pain as my comms crackle on. 

"Are you okay?" 

"No!" I shout as Bangalore lands in front of me with a smirk. She holds up her wingman and aims it at me, I curse under my breath but accept my fate.

"What happened? Did your weapon malfuntion, or did you?" I crawl away helplessly as Mirage and Octane apologize profusely.

"There's no way we can get you when-" Octane is cut off as she sends out two shots to my head. I don't even get the chance to scream in agony as my body fades into a death box.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The game is over quickly following my death. It takes about an hour for Mirage and Octane to be wiped out by Gibraltar's squad but we at least made it to the top three. Bloodhound's squad won, of course, and now we're on the dropship heading back to HQ. I'm in one of the designated rooms with medical equipment for wounded legends, my ankle has been wrapped up so I'm just laying back in the bed as the pain meds begin to kick in. Before I can fall asleep the door swings open and Mirage swaggers in with Bloodhound close behind him.

"Sooo." He smirks at me as Bloodhound steps around him. They both stare at me for a moment.

"Elliott it was a challenge, not a bet."

"So I don't get anything?" I shake my head and he frowns, "Not even a kiss on the cheek?" I raise an eyebrow at him as Bloodhound rests a hand on his shoulder.

"You better not go near her, Elliott. Do you not remember vhat happened the last time you flirted vith her?" Mirage visibly swallows and steps back before running out the door. Bloodhound chuckles and approaches my bedside, they hold my hand and gently caresses my knuckles with their gloved thumb.

"That vas very kind of you today elska."

"Ah, it's cool. It's just my way of saying..." I stare at at them for a moment and sigh. I can't bring myself to finish the sentence.

"A level four shield can only mean one thing."

"Oh?"

"You love me, elska." I blush a crimson red and nod.

"I love you." 

"Vell, it just so happens that I love you too." They push my bangs off my face and touch my cheek lovingly.

"So a shield is what got you to finally admit it!" 

"It vould seem so." They chuckle again, it's like music to my ears.

"I can live with that. I really love you Houndie." 

"I love you too _____."

"But don't expect me to throw the game for you again!"

"Ve'll see about that."


	12. Day 12: Ruins

I try not to dwell on what was but rather look forward to what will come. Many legends are distraught about the demise and destruction of Skull Town and the beloved Thunderdome. Most of the kill thirsty legends miss Skull Town, for obvious reasons, and those who grew up on solace reminisce what once was the Thunderdome. I personally have no affliction with the loss of either location, perhaps it's because I joined the legends ranks when Worlds Edge was still the primary map for the game. Still, there is a certain kind of sadness left in the wake of Elliott telling us stories about the times he and his brothers snuck into Thunderdome.

"We finally got in through the hole in the fence that we've been slowly cutting for a month and it friggin' rained! RAINED! What bad luck we had...heh." He hangs his head and stares down at the gaping hole between the two areas. They are currently using some specialized equipment to retrieve what's left of the skeleton that was Skull Town. I anxiously swing my legs over the edge and place a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You'll always have those memories, no matter what happens or...happened already... to Thunderdome."

"Do not fret vhat cannot be changed, vinur." Bloodhound adds, they are a calming presence even as they stand behind us with an equally solemn face.

"What are you gonna miss the most about it, Houndie?" They tense up at the nickname and sigh, I bite my lip and send them an apologetic look. 

"The bloth shed, they vere areas frequented often. I vill miss that the most." 

"Of course you would, does anything really matter to you besides killing?" I slap the back of Elliott's head and 'tsk'. 

"I know you're upset but please don't say such hurtful things." Bloodhound keeps quiet as I stand up and walk along the cliffside. I occassionally peer down into the rocky ocean and scan the area, maybe there's something left that can be salvaged as a memento for (the now sulking) Elliott. I kick a few rocks off the edge and listen as they plunge into the water with no hope of return. Suddenly Bloodhound speaks up, Elliott has been mumbling but I couldn't hear what it was about.

"Ve have all lost things Elliott, some material and some spiritual. Some things cannot be returned, I am not heartless for accepting that as a fact." I eavesdrop but step away to look as though I'm not paying attention.

"Well it would be harder if you actually bothered. I mean, we're barely friends. Why are you even here, to poke fun at me for mourning?" I glance over now with obvious interest and Bloodhound stares back at me with such intensity it sends a shiver down my spine.

"I am here to protect the ones I care for. I truly vorry about you, vinur, but I cannot help you vith this pain you are feeling." Elliott stands up and throws his arms in the air.

"I know! I-I know...I'm sorry. Maybe I just need to get my mind off this for awhile. Whattya say we go in that building and have ourselves a good time, _____?" He turns to me with a sad smile and his hand on his hip. My face heats up in embarrassment at the implication and I shake my head vigorously. He frowns and sighs.

"A simple 'no' would have sufficed."

"I'm sorry, Elliott. I have a significant other." A look of surprise crosses his face but it turns into excitement.

"Since when? C'mon, I need deets!" Somehow, if possible, my cheeks get redder and I stutter out a response.

"I-I'm n-not sure i-if..." Bloodhound steps in and redirects his attention to the Gauntlet.

"Let's continue our adventure, it's probably safer if ve put some distance between us and the remains of these places." He nods in agreement but eyes me curiously as I catch up to them. We walk together in silence, I look at the skull one last time before putting everything out of my head. Elliott will be fine in due time, but for now we should have a little fun. Unsurprisingly, Octane is messing around on the jump pads and doing tricks while flying through the ring of fire. Elliott calls out to him and catches up with him (presumably to join him in his antics). I watch on and smile softly, Bloodhound slips their hand in mine and nods towards the two.

"He vill be fine, do not stress over it." 

"I know but someone has to look out for him, with his mom being sick and his brothers gone..." I sigh and shake my head, "We're all he has."

"Perhaps, but you are doing your best to bring him comfort. You are his 'shoulder to cry on'." I finally look up at them as a thought occurs to me. 

"He can be our adopted son! It's cool if he calls you 'daddy', right?" They visibly pale and tense up again before flicking my forehead.

"Not a chance in Hel." I throw my head back and laugh. When I finally calm down I rest a hand on their cheek and smile lovingly at them.

"One day though, right?" It takes them a minute to realize what I'm implying, when they do figure it out they rest their forehead against mine.

"I hope so." They place a chaste kiss on my lips.

"Oh my god I knew it!" Elliott yells across the way, Bloodhound wraps their arms around my waist and ignores him.

"You're just jealous!" I holler back jokingly before pulling them down for a much rougher kiss.

"Yeah, yeah...you're probably right."


	13. Day 13: Hero

I slide into the open doors of bunker and press a button to close them behind me. Without a moment to spare I rush forward again and slide down the stairs to put as much space between me and the enemy squad. We got hit with a hard third party after our previous battle in the town just north of here. My other squadmate, Bloodhound, got separated from me on our way out. Our third was a "noob", so to speak, and is dead with their banner already timed out so I don't have to worry about him. 

What I am worried about is Bangalore, Lifeline and Gibraltar charging through bunker to catch up with me. I close the door on my way out and am currently hiding in the building to the left with an attached zipline. My main focus right now is to stay hidden and get up the hill so I can use my sentinel to scare them off. Or, at the very least, I can buy myself some time until I'm able to meet back up with Bloodhound. 

I kneel down in front of the window and watch the doors slide open, Bangalore peers around the edge of the door frame and gives her teammates the 'all clear' signal. My comms crackle to life and a tired sounding Bloodhound whispers through the ear piece.

"Vhere are you?" I glance outside before whispering back.

"Right outside of bunker in the house below the hill. They're looking for me." I hide in the corner and press my back flat against the house.

"I'm gonna check over here." I can hear the splash of footsteps in the water surrounding the front of the house and mumble a curse.

"Roger, Gibby and I will check up top to make sure she doesn't escape if she's still here." I can hear Lifeline hum as she cautiously opens the door as they zipline to the houses across the way. Every second of the squeaking of the hinges leaves me more on edge as her head pokes into the house. I hold my breath and hope she doesn't look my way. I shrink into the shadows as she takes a quick look around, when she decides it's safe she tiptoes inside. My comms crackles again at an untimely moment, Lifeline sticks her head back in the room and yells to her teammates.

"She's in here! Don't worry, I got her." She pulls up her alternator and aims it at me, I use my passive ability to boost myself so I can jump up onto the small ledge by the stairs. Once I pull myself up she starts to fire, I narrowly avoid getting shot in the back but a few bullets do graze my calf. I holler in agony and try the comms as I climb out onto the roof of the building. Bangalore and Gibraltar are running over from a nearby house and Lifeline is rushing up the stairs to get to me.

"Bloodhound?! Are you close?" Nothing comes through the other end so I groan and (stupidly) dive off of the roof. My ankle twists and the blood pours out of my bullet wound, I can barely stand on that leg. Nevertheless, I drag myself up the hill as Lifeline and her team gather together on the roof. Her eyes follow the blood trail before she calls out 'gotcha'. I persevere through the pain and continue to inch up the hill as they leisurely stroll over to finish me off.

"I am Blóðhundr!" A loud feral growl follows and Bloodhound comes barreling down the hill. They spray a clip of their selectfire prowler at the three and they back off for the moment. They know better than to challenge them while they are in their Beast of the Hunt. We've all seen them take out entire teams with ease but this time Bloodhound doesn't use it to push the squad. The eyes of their mask lock onto me and they swoop down to toss me over their shoulder effortlessly. I can't help but squeal as they retreat back up the hill. They set up post with their sniper and take a few shots after setting me down against a nearby tree. I catch my breath and watch as they tear through the squads shields, they eventually decide to retreat after another squad pushes through bunker.

Their reddish glow fades out and they lay their weapon down before turning their attention to me. Without hesitation they lean over my body and pull out a medkit, they pull the syringe out and press it against my wrist gently. I wince as the needle is inserted into my skin but I sigh with relief after a moment.

"Sorry you had to waste your ultimate for me." I cough and shake my head to get the dizziness to go away.

"It is no problem." I giggle and they tilt their head in confusion.

"I feel like a damsel in distress. Also that was friggin' impressive, you tossed me over your shoulder as if I were a bag of potatoes." This statement earns me a chuckle from the usually stoic hunter.

"The medicines side effects are kicking in." I giggle again and roll my head around.

"It's kinda hot, actually. I mean, imagine if we weren't trying to kill each other." They tense up but I hardly notice as I lean closer to their mask. "Would you be that rough if you were bringing me to, I dunno...a bedroom?" My voice comes off as sultry as I smirk at them and shrug.

"Maybe I'll never know but I'm definitely curious." The sound of a kraber shot ringing out brings me back to the reality of our situation. I stand up, they help keep me steady as I equip my sentinel. 

"Shots are coming from that direction." I point towards the area that has three passage ways that converge where the nearby respawn beacon is. They nod but the air between us stays tense for the rest of the match. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It sucks we didn't win, thanks for the carry though. I can't believe I got second place in my first match!" I nod towards our third and wave him away nonchalantly as Bloodhound approaches me. They stand in front of me, their shoulders rigid and their head is tilted downwards.

"Do you remember vhat you said, after I healed you?" I blush a deep shade of red and nod nervously.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." 

"Perhaps you vould like the answer to your question." Without another word they bend forward and wrap their arms around the back of my knees. They lift me over their shoulder, one hand is on my calf as the other travels up to squeeze my ass. They start walking towards the bunks on the dropship, the other participants stare at us with shocked faces. I smirk and glance around the room but let my hands trace the muscles on their back.

"I like where this is going."


	14. Day 14: Rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NSFW content ahead :)

I start with the kitchen, it's the easiest to clean (aside from the oven- my sworn enemy). With an old sponge in one hand I crawl across the floor and scrub every sticky spot or stain that won't come out when I mop the floor. I have to sit up after every few spots I clean up, my breathing is ragged by the time I'm done. With my forearm I wipe the sweat from my face and stand up shakily. After tossing the sponge in the trash I move on to wiping down the counters and cleaning the stove top.

The door swings open but I pay it no mind as the thumping of footsteps approach the kitchen.

"You are cleaning. Again?" I glance at Bloodhound as they remove their mask and shake out their thick ginger hair.

"Yes, I didn't do the floors last time." 

"Elska." They state firmly and set their (bloody) axe on the table before walking over to me.

"Hound." They sigh and take their gloves off. They set them in one of their various pockets then they press a calloused hand against my swollen stomach and shake their head.

"You are exhausting yourself."

"I still have a few months left. I need to make sure everything is ready." They gently grab the cloth from my hand and guide me away from the kitchen. I sigh in annoyance but let them lead me to our shared room. After closing the door behind us they shed all of their extra layers down to their boxer shorts and a plain white tank top. I sit on the edge of the bed and pat the spot beside me, they walk over with a weary expression on their face. 

"I vorry that you are doing too much vhile I am avay." I straddle their lap as best I can, they have to lean back to give myself extra space for my stomach.

"I-I'm not trying to...my OCD is very bad right now and I miss you all day."

"I know vhich is vhy I am planning a hiatus." I stare at them in utter disbelief and shake my head. 

"You can't, you love the games." They shrug and smile tiredly, I realize they've been out all day. I lower my voice so its barely above a whisper. "Do you want to take a shower and sleep?" 

"..." I giggle and press a soft kiss to their nose.

"C'mon, let's go sweetheart." I climb off their lap and beckon them to follow me to the bathroom connected to our room. They sluggishly walk over as I turn the shower on to a nice hot temperature. The mirror fogs up with a mild amount of steam coming from the shower as I begin to shed my clothes. Bloodhound holds my waist as my shirt comes off, they tug at my shorts and I laugh airily.

"Bit of an eager beaver, huh? I thought you were tired." They chuckle and toss their shirt aside before slipping out of their boxers. I raise an eyebrow and smirk at them before stepping into the tub. They make sure to keep their arm on my wrist to steady me, I gush inwardly but stay composed on the outside. I wait for them to get in behind me to turn around. Without hesitation I fling my arms around their neck and pull them down for a heated kiss. I nip at their bottom lip and moan quietly as their erection presses against my thigh.

"You are just as eager as I am, beloved." They rest our foreheads together and smile lovingly.

"I have all this energy I planned on using to clean but y'know..." 

"It is better well spent on this, don't you think?" I don't verbally respond as I carefully get on my knees, I look up at them for consent or any signs of discomfort. My heart skips a beat when they smile down at me, their eyes convey a sense of trust. I don't waste another moment to take their entire length in my mouth, I pull back and swirl my tongue around the tip. They groan quietly which only urges me on, I hollow out my cheek and stare up at them through my lashes. Something seems to snap within them. The moment our eyes meet they end up grabbing a fist full of my hair. 

"Is this-" 

"Mhm!" I try to cry out but it's cut off by a moan as they slowly begin to thrust into my mouth. I do my best suppress my gag reflex and let a few choked up moans spill. They ease their grip on my hair before stepping back, I whimper at the loss of contact as they offer me their hand. Once I'm up on my feet they reach around me to turn the water off.

"I cannot fathom doing anything more vith you in here, it is unsafe." I nod in agreement and let them help me out. We both dry off with a newfound sense of urgency. I can feel their eyes on me as we walk to the bed, I climb on top and lay sprawled out on my back. The bed shifts under their added weight with a 'creak' as they sit in front of me. Their hands slide from my thighs to my knees to spread my legs apart. I can't exactly tell what's going on but I feel their hands slide back down before gently caressing my thighs.

"Can we skip the foreplay, Houndie? I feel exhausted all of the sudden." A look of concern crosses their face and they almost get off the bed. "No, no, I really want you to..."

"To?" Their expression softens as they continue to let their hands trail across my bare body.

"To make love to me..." I can barely get the words out without an intense blush spreading across my face as the warmth in my chest grows. My heart is beating wildly as they stare at me again with those insanely gorgeous blue-gray eyes. A few moments of comfortable silence passes by before they lean forward to teasingly rub my breasts. I watch as their eyes linger on them before they trail down over my bump and pause. A content sigh slips through as they line themself up at my entrance.

"You are absolutely glowing, have I told you that yet?" I bite my lip and shake my head. They slowly press themself inside and sit still. Their hands hold my legs up by the back of my knees as they begin to move in a slow yet steady rhythm. My mind fogs up and I can barely pay attention to the sweet nothings they whisper as they thrust into me.

"I won't l-last long."

"Me either." Their breathing becomes heavy as they restrain themself from slamming into me as they near their orgasm. I whine out and throw my head from side to side as I grip the sheets tight. A few more whimpers and whines escape until the coil of pleasure in my lower abdomen bursts. My vision is clouded over with stars as my eyes roll back. The way I clench around their length sends them spiraling towards their own release. There's a few muttered curse words in their native tongue and one almost painful squeeze to my thigh as the warmth from their seed spills inside. When they finally pull out they flop unceremoniously on their back. As we catch our breath I intertwine our hands and scoot up the bed. 

"I love you Bloodhound."

"Mmm...love you.." There voice fades off as their breathing evens out. I decide to let myself relax and close my eyes. I do my best to get some sleep, I really do, but something is nagging at me.

All the blood they trailed inside along with the bloody axe sitting on my table makes me twitch with annoyance. I eventually give up and quietly slip out of bed, I know they'll berate me tomorrow but it's okay.

No rest for the wicked, I suppose.


	15. Day 15: Skull (MirageHoundxReader)

My phone vibrates in my pocket as I scan the menu in front of me. I quickly apologize to the man behind the counter and step aside so he can help other customers while I answer it.

"Hey babe." 

"There's a skull on the wall." I raise and eyebrow and inwardly sigh.

"Elliott, are you touching Bloodhound's stuff again?" 

"..."

"Elliott?"

"Bloodhound brought a dead animal home and mounted its head ON THE WALL!" I pinch the bridge of my nose and sigh (audibly this time).

"Listen, I'm going to grab us some chinese food. Just calm down and take a shower, I'll be home before you know it."

"But-"

"Bye! Love yooou!" I press the end button and shake my head as I stick it back in my pocket. After sending the man another apologetic smile I get back in line. Luckily the place is pretty empty so I rattle off my order and get my food rather quickly. I thank him and drop an extra tip in the jar before trotting outside, I gather my thoughts and head towards the direction of our shared cabin. 

Bloodhound and Elliott have been together for quite some time so it baffles me that he's still surprised by Bloodhounds interesting sense of style. I only recently came into the picture but Elliott acts so attention/ touched starved so he always turns towards me in these situations. That's not to say Bloodhound can't be lovable, it's just sometimes they can be a bit...unapproachable. And adding a creatures skull to our home decor? I'm not totally shocked by Elliott's reaction but they were the ones who built the cabin. I find it easier to abide by their customs and rules to be more respectful. Elliott, on the other hand, has no quarrel with expressing his disinterest.

Without realizing it I'm standing at the front door, I clutch the bags of food tight and hesitantly knock. I can hear someone stumbling on the other side, it swings open to reveal a distraught Elliott. 

"BABE!" He grabs me by the wrist and pulls me inside. I glare at him after almost dropping the food. Bloodhound is sitting in their favorite chair with their arms crossed, their eyes are narrowed and their lips are pursed in annoyance.

"You need to calm down." I yank my arm free and set the food down on the coffee table. Elliott pouts and points with an incredulous face at the skull of a prowler mounted over the fireplace.

"Nice kill, Houndie. It's a respectable size." I glance their way and their lips curl up into a half-smile. Elliott slaps my shoulder, I glare at him and point to the food.

"Shut up and eat. You literally murder people and die for a living, it's not like the skull is bloodied with flesh remnants scattered about." I roll my eyes and sit on the couch. I pull out every container, Elliott eventually sits beside me and slides his arm around my waist.

"You know you keep me sane, right?" Bloodhound coughs to conceal their laugh, I smile at them before giving Elliott my undivided attention.

"You're a drama queen." He feigns hurt and holds his hands over his heart.

"T-that's not nice!" 

"If the skull makes you uncomfortable then I guess I shouldn't offer to 'bone you'." I give him a shit-eating grin, he stares back at me with a blank expression.

"Did you just...really? REALLY BABE?" 

"I am interested in this proposition." I glance between Bloodhound and my untouched food before shrugging.

"Food can wait, c'mon Houndie. We can leave Elliott here to get more aquainted with his new friend." I stand up and walk away, I can hear shuffling behind me as both of them follow me.

"W-wait that's totally n-not fair. Y-you're not doing that without me!"

"Hmmm, only if you promise to stop whining." He hums behind me and wraps his arms around my waist before muttering 'fine'.

Living with the two can be an experience (to say the least), but I wouldn't trade either of them for the world.


	16. Day 16: Growth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NSFW but kinda sweet <3 enjoy!

"You've come a long way." Their voice is soft and reassuring, I press my back against their bare chest and sigh.

"Then why do I still feel this way?" My voice cracks and I let my tear stained cheek rest against the pillow. Their arm pulls me as close as physically possible while their thumb traces circles on my hips.

"The past cannot be erased, ve simply learn to grow vith the pain. But some days," They brush my hair back with their free hand, "some days ve are reminded of the pain that surrounds our hearts. It cannot alvays be ignored." 

"I have everything with you. Why does it feel like something isn't right? I'm happy with our humble life, I'm content to spend our days in quiet solitude." I try to find the words to continue but I stop to contemplate it for awhile.

"Vhen you're ready, I'm alvays villing to listen."

"Don't take this the wrong way but sometimes it doesn't feel like enough. I want my family around, I want to have a family but again, I love our life the way it is too."

"Perhaps ve should explore these desires." I turn around to face them and blink a few times. 

"My family hurt me, they didn't want me. H-how could I ever consider...I'm broken, nobody wants me as a mother and that thought," I whimper and close my eyes, "breaks my heart all over again."

"I truly do not believe you vould hurt your kin the vay you have been hurt by your own." I sniffle and wipe away a few stray tears. After taking a few deep breaths I manage to calm myself down. The pain subsides substantially since a few hours ago, everything starts to feel clear again. A certain pressure releases from my chest, it's like the hand squeezing my heart has let go for the moment.

"You are not the same as before, I think you know that in here." They circle their finger over my heart and smile kindly. "Your smile is wider, more often than not you are happy. You do vhatever is necessary for the both of us to live comfortably, even if it is not explicitly asked of you. And most importantly, you let me into your heart and into your life. You've been dissapointed by so many, yet you took a chance on me."

"Truth be told, I would have let you in regardless. You would be, y-you are, worth any pain. Even if you shattered my heart and stomped on what was left, it would be worth it. Our time together has been everything I could have ever asked for." I can feel my face heat up, they lean their head forward until our noses are touching.

"Oh elskan..."

"Hound..." I close the remaining space and press a soft kiss to their lips. My one hand caresses their cheek while the other is wedged between our bodies. The kiss heats up, I let my hand fall to their shoulder and push them on their back. I straddle them as they squeeze my hips without breaking the kiss. Their tongue slides across my bottom lip, when I refuse them entrance they playfully nibble it. Without restraint I moan and grind against them for friction as their tongue slips inside.

"O-oh, Hound..." They groan as our tongues fight for dominance. The need for air is pressing so I begrudgingly pull away to catch my breath. I blush as I notice the trail of saliva connecting us together, I wipe their lip with my thumb to wipe it away. Their hands trail up from my hips to my clothed breasts, they tease my already hardened buds.

"You are overdressed for the occassion." I smirk and set my hand on top of theirs.

"What's the o-ooh, oh f-fuck..." They lean up and leave love bites all over the exposed skin on my neck. They growl against my skin, their breath is hot and the feeling, as well as the vibration, makes me tremble.

"Tonight you are mine." They roll us over so I'm laying on my back beneath them. I can't help the little giggle that escapes as I scan their face. Their sharp canines are digging into their lower lip and their eyebrows are furrowed, they look incredibly frustrated. I'm not doing much better as I wiggle out of my shorts and underwear while they all but tear my shirt off. They lean down and take one hardened nipple in their mouth as they roll the other one around between their fingers. I arch my back and grab a fist full of hair to press them harder against my body. They chuckle against my skin as I moan out their name. I whimper when they pull away from me. They stand up and slide off their remaining clothing before covering my body with theirs once again. Their forearms are on either side of my head as they teasingly press against my entrance. I jerk my hips in a pathetic attempt to urge them on. They simply 'tsk' and wait for me to calm down, I let out a huff of breath in annoyance.

"Ve have all night together, elska." 

"I suppose but I want you now, Houndie. I can't wait!" I plead with them, that seems to be all it takes as they groan and push themself completely inside. Their movements are slow and calculated, their thrusts are just enough to keep us both interested. I stare into their eyes, we share a look of adoration as I cup their cheeks. They lean down for a soft kiss, it turns into them peppering butterfly kisses across my face.

"Do you," I sigh in pleasure and smile at them, "D-do you think we can really spend the rest of our lives together?"

"I look forward to it." I cling to them as they pick up speed. The passionate love making turns into them slamming relentlessly into me. I mewl and cry out until my voice is hoarse. My legs wrap around their waist as I throw my arms over their shoulder. I dig my nails into their back, they growl and groan sweet nothings into my ear. I can hardly focus on anything but the growing tension in my abdomen, I cry out and beg for release.

"Elskan..." Their voice is low and raspy, I let one hand rest in their hair before tugging on it.

"I-inside." Something seems to snap and somehow they get rougher, almost as if their feral instincts take over. I enjoy every second of it and continue to cry out until they growl into my ear. The feeling of their seed leaking inside is what sends me over the edge, I hold on to them tightly as I ride out my orgasm. They finally pull out and flop unceremoniously beside me. We both catch our breath before turning to face each other, they pull me close and nuzzle into my neck. I pet their hair and hum quietly.

We stay together in complete silence for awhile and as I begin to fall into unconsciousness they whisper something that makes my heart explode with joy.

"You are so strong, so perfect...I love you vith all of my heart." 

"Love you...too..."


	17. Day 17: Home

Home is where the heart is and right now, that's in the scorching heat of Kings Canyon while overdressed with gear for the games. My backpack sits heavy on my back, it's full of spare ammunition and throwables. Even between the heat and the added weight I can't help but smile. It's wrong, in a lot of ways, to smile on the battlefield. But here's the thing: I love my squadmates. Wattson and Crypto are always deadly serious but kinder than most people. They understand the stress we're under, we all do so most of us legends stick together. Yeah I might have to put a bullet through Wraith's head but when we're back at the dropship all is forgiven. At the end of the match, at the end of the day, at the end of the week...we're family. Some of us are closer than others but we still play to win, it's only fair.

The game is almost over, it's us and two other squads. We're making our way towards market, we're on the third ring already and, if I had to guess, somebody will be waiting for us there. As we round the corner we press our bodies against the jagged rocks as a charge rifle beam whizzes past our heads.

"I'll get my eye in the sky." Crypto sends his drone out as Wattson prepares her interception pylon, I prepare a thermite so I can get them to scatter. "Both sqauds are nearby, one is on top and one is barricaded inside with Nox traps scattered around." I groan but an idea quickly pops into my head.

"I have plenty of throwables, someone can sneak up the side of the building and two of us should push through the front. If we can get the team on top to drop down we can herd them into Caustic's team."

"Good idea mon ami, Crypto is the most quiet out of the three of us." He nods in acceptance, I count down from three quietly and push myself off the wall. I climb up the door with Wattson. Mirage and Gibraltar aim down sights on us as Crypto tiptoes up, I drop the thermite at their feet while mirage sends out a decoy. Wattson sends out an arc star that gets blocked by Gibby's shield, it flies back towards us so we duck and jump out of the way. Crypto invades his shield and unloads a magazine of his R-99 into them. They scramble, and like I predicted, throw themselves down into market. 

A fire fight ensues below, we all hop off the roof and enter through the door we climbed over. Nox traps are hissing after having been set off by a panicked Mirage, he ends up barreling towards us by accident while trying to escape. The look on his face is priceless when he realizes his mistake, I lift my double tap eva-8 and finish him off, Gibraltar was already downed so Elliott immediately dissappears into a deathbox.

2 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨

"I will send out an EMP, you two rush. Throw down your pylon after it's over and ____, disable the rest of his traps."

"Copy that!" He finds a secluded corner as Wattson and I take cover behind a stall down below.

"Activating EMP!" We wait for the static to fade and run up the stairs, the other squad (consisting of Caustic, Bloodhound and Octane) are pulling out shield cells to top off what was taken. I use my G7 to take out the two remaining traps, Wattson drops her pylon while Octane throws out a grenade in a desperate attempt to get the chance to flee. It is destroyed mid-air and Wattson pushes with me, her spitfire takes Octane down with ease. Crypto joins us after a few moments, our combined gunfire from my flatline, Crypto's R-99 and Wattson's spitfire takes Bloodhound and Caustic out within moments. I feel a creeping guilt in my stomach for taking Bloodhound out, sometimes it's hard to shoot at the most important person in my life.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘈𝘱𝘦𝘹 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴

I let the guilt be replaced with excitement while I throw myself into Wattson's arms and bury my face in her chest. She giggles excitedly as Crypto pats our backs, he's not usually touchy-feely but the gesture means the world to me. We drop our equipment, the weight lifted off is both metaphorical and physical. My palms are sweaty while sweat also drips down the sides of my face. Crypto and Wattson aren't in much better shape as we walk outside into the open. The dropship is waiting nearby for us, I link my arms with Wattson and skip with her towards it. With a chuckle Crypto follows behind us.

The doors open up and the other legends are waiting for us. Mirage shouts 'Good Game' over the cheers of the others, I can't help but blush as I throw my hands in the air.

"Party at the Paradise Lounge!" We all shout our agreement and excitement with Elliott's plan.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The music is bumping and the glasses are being continuously filled. Even the most angsty of legends are here (including Caustic and Revenant) to celebrate our victory. Mirage comes over to my table and offers me a drink, I politely decline and continue to wait. A few minutes pass before Bloodhound joins me, they slide a glass of water towards me and take a seat across from me. Elliott eventually comes back with a scotch for them, he sets it down and looks between the two of us before smirking and walking away.

"Congratulations on your win, elska." I smile warmly at them and take a few sips of water.

"Thanks Houndie, you did great too. Did you watch the replays?" They nod and unclip a lower part of their mask to drink their scotch.

"It vas strong teamvork, I am very proud to have fought against you." I lean across the table and intertwine our fingers.

"I-I..." I sigh and take a deep breath, "I almost hesitated when I saw you. I know, I know...but I just love you so much." They squeeze my hand, I can feel their eyes on me even with the mask on.

"I love you too, and do not be ashamed of this confession. Sometimes I, too, feel the guilt of killing you my beloved. As long as ve don't hold it against each other it vill be okay, ja?"

"Ja." I giggle and turn my head to watch the scene at the bar unfold. Wattson is white girl wasted and trying to coax a tipsy Crypto onto the dance floor. Elliott and Octavio are grinding against each other while Anita and Ajay are watching and snickering at the two. Even Gibraltar is dancing around with Wraith trying to keep up. Caustic and Revenant are being wallflowers but there is a look of amusement across the older legends face. It's almost like a drunken family reunion but I can't help the smile on my face and the warmth in my heart. 

This is my family. Where these legends are is where I want to be, no matter where that is because home is where the heart is.


	18. Day 18: Sky

Sometimes it's hard to differentiate between the smells wafting by. Maybe it's a hint of lilac, or perhaps honeysuckle, that's flowing through the air with the gentle breeze that's caressing the skin on my face. The grass is plush beneath my body, my shoulders are bare as well as my legs. The cotton sundress I'm wearing is a bit revealing but it's comfortable in the summer heat. Besides, nobody wanders around out here unless they know where here is. 

A long walk through the forest, past my quaint cabin in the woods, and you'd find me on a small hill in a clearing. It is surrounded by trees but there's nothing unnatural around here, no buildings or anything.

I love it. I love coming out here to think, to stare up into the sky on a cloudy day like today. The city has never appealed to me, and while it can be lonely out here, it's totally worth it. Nature is what's beautiful about the world, it makes all the hardships worthwhile. To be able to bask in the glory of God, or the Gods, creations (although I have no preference and very little belief in much) is everything to me.

A wounded deer shouts from somewhere within the forest and staggers out a few feet away from me. There's an arrow lodged in its side, just narrowly having missed its mark. He's breathing heavily and panting in pain, a few whimpers and whines escape the poor creature. I slowly lean up and wait for the hunter to claim its kill. After a few moments the hunter pushes past the brush and foliage of the treeline and into the open. I stare in awe of them.

The mask must have some significance to them, I'm not sure of all the people who dwell on Talos but I've met quite a few hunters and have never seen one dressed so...I'm not sure there's an appropriate word for it but I like it. I'm infactuated by them. My heart skips a few beats and my breath catches in my throat. Wordlessly they approach the deer and gently kneel beside it.

"The Allfather blesses my hunt, vith your sacrifice I vill shed bloth in their honor." They grip the knife sheathed on their side and plunge it into his heart, his squeals of pain are immediately silenced. It's not until after that they seem to notice my presence. They glance up and stare at me through the murky lense of their goggles. I do my best to ignore the rapid beating of my heart and smile towards the masked stranger. They tilt their head forward and speak quietly.

"I apologize if I have disturbed your peace." 

"N-no, I-I..." I silently curse my stutter and take a breath," I was just surprised. There aren't a lot of hunters who venture out this deep into the forest." 

"Ja." They say no more before gesturing towards the deer. A raven flies overhead and circles above them before landing gracefully onto the deer. It begins pecking at its glossed over black eyes, I don't even flinch at the sight.

"You get scraps vhen I am done cleaning the kill, Artur." Artur caws indignantly but complies with their orders and flies away to a nearby branch.

"You should clean him up soon, this heat won't let up until later in the evening." Their mask turns up towards me quickly, almost as if they are surprised.

"That vould not bother you?" I can't help but giggle.

"I know what it's like to hunt for survival, in fact, I live out here myself." I mentally berate myself for sharing that with a complete stranger. A completely gorgeous stranger, an obviously skilled hunter...I wonder what they look like underneath their gear. I shake the thought from my head as a blush creeps up my neck and onto my cheeks. They only hum in acknowledgement, we sit in silence for a few moments before they pull their knife out of the deer. 

"My home is nearby, it vill not be hard for me to take the deer. It vas a pleasure to meet you." They grab his antlers and begin dragging him towards the edge of the forest. Without any forethought I leap up and call out for them to stop. They glance at me from over their shoulder and tilt their head again, it makes me feel like my heart is fluttering and there are butterflies floating around in my stomach.

"Stay awhile." I barely manage to whisper out, I doubt they heard what I said but they drag the deer into the shade before kneeling in front of it. I assume they are cleaning it up but, if I'm honest, I can't really tell. I am completely surprised when they pull out a small folded up tarp from the pack on their back to lay over the carcass. After it's done they wipe there hands on a towel and drop their pack beside the deer before making there way up the tiny hill. They tower over me and stare down at me, I start to feel axious under the intensity of their gaze.

"I-I was just looking at the clouds. It's such a beautiful day today, w-would you like to join me? I'm sorry if I'm being rude." They raise their hand to my cheek, their gloved thumb rubs circles over my cheek bone. I practically melt into them, I nuzzle their hand which earns me a small chuckle.

"Perhaps I vill join you for avhile." I sit back down and run the blades of grass between my fingers to calm my nerves. As I lay back they join me on the ground and copy my movements, I glance over at them before directing my attention to the clouds above.

"It is beautiful." I smile and nod in agreement, I spare them a glance but they quickly turn their head up towards the sky.

𝘞𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘦?

"That, uh, Raven...is he your pet?" The aforemention bird flies down between us and hops around. 

"Our relationship is symbiotic, I feed him and take care of his needs vhile he guides me. Out here vhile I hunt and out on the battlefield, he has a very watchful eye." 

"That's really cool." He hops up onto my stomach and starts preening, I giggle before gently running a finger under the feathers on his neck.

We lay in silence for the next hour or so, Artur stays on me but eventually nestles himself on the plushest parts of my stomach. Something makes me feel safe, like nothing could ever touch me right here and right now. It's almost like I'm protected from the harsh realities that wait outside of this forest, of this clearing. 

"I should get going." They stand up and stretch, it's hard to notice but I begin to wonder if they fell asleep. They whistle, Artur stirs from his nap and flies onto their shoulder obediently. I stare up at them until they begin to walk towards the, almost forgotten, deer carcass. 

"Hey, can I ask you something?" I shout with faux confidence.

"You just did." They call back. I shake my head and smile as they turn towards me for what will probably be the last time for quite some time.

"What's your name? I'm (y/n), it was really nice to meet you. Maybe I'll see you around?" 

"I am Blóðhundr, you can call me Bloodhound. It vas a pleasure to meet you, I look forward to the day our paths cross again."

And with that, they are gone. I keep smiling like an idiot as I lay back down to stare at the sky.

𝘐 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯.


	19. Day 19: Target

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the same reader as the one on day 18, I'm probably going to post these as their own story after the 31 days of apex is over so I can continue the story :)

The rain makes things a bit more complicated for me. It makes it easier to follow the tracks but it's also easier for me to make a mistake, one misstep and I'll alert the animals of my presence. It also doesn't help that the rain will wash away the blood if/when I chase after a kill so precision is key right now. I have to only take shots I'm confident in or this will surely be an unsuccessful hunt. 

Since the rainfall isn't particularly heavy I decided to only wear a couple of layers. I have a pair of lightweight rainproof overalls, a black long sleeved insulated shirt and a camouflage rainproof poncho with an attached hood. I'm currently kneeling behind some overgrown brush, I've been following a particular set of tracks all morning. I've seen other tracks crossing the deers path intermittently but nothing that has been a cause for worry.

The buck in question walks in-between a few trees, I raise my bow and crouch just a bit closer. His head lifts up and looks in the opposite direction of me, I take the opportunity to adjust my stance. Afterwards I nock the arrow and fix my grip. I reach for the bowstring and use my index, middle and ring finger to pull back. I lift the bow so that my arm is shoulder height before drawing the bowstring back. I use my preferred anchor point, my index finger is barely brushed against the right corner of my mouth. I aim, release and follow through but I accidently hit the side of my cheek after flailing in surprise as another arrow flies from the opposite direction into the side of the buck.

He rushes forward with a surge of adrenline but only makes it a few feet before standing still and falling over. I set my bow on my back and stand up to retrieve my kill. Or our kill? I hold my hand over the knife on my side to unsheath it at a moments notice, if need be, and step forward. There's some rustling from the direction the buck was staring. Lo and behold a familiar mask comes into view as Artur swoops down from the trees to circle above the buck. I smile and relax when I recognize Bloodhound, I wave at them and gesture towards the buck. 

"He's a beauty, I'm not surprised you were tracking him too. Hard to find a solid 10 pointer around here, especially this late in the season." They tilt their head forward in greeting as we approach the buck together. I kneel down and remove my arrow while checking to make sure he's completely dead. Bloodhound kneels down as well and murmurs a prayer like last time. 

"I apologize for this oversight. Perhaps one of us can get the meat and the other may take his hide?" 

"It's up to you." They go quiet for quite some time, I patiently await their decision.

"It is yours to keep." They stand up and begin to walk away. I jump to my feet immediately and rest a hand on their shoulder. When they flinch I step back and apologize profusely.

"I'm sorry I don't know why...I-"

"Artur!" They scare the raven away from the carcass, I bite my lip and flinch subconsciously at the harsh tone they use.

"I apologize and it is alright."

"I just wanted to-" I pinch the bridge of my nose in frustration, "Maybe we can hang out, without it being a coincidence..." They seem to contemplate this as Artur perches on my shoulder. I gasp in surprise and scratch his neck carefully, Bloodhound seems to be watching the scene unfold before them.

"Next veekend, ve can meet in the clearing." I smile and nod excitedly.

"I can't wait Bloodhound." They nod and walk away quietly, I watch until their figure dissappears into the foggy forest. Artur caws and nuzzles my cheek before following after them, my heart is fluttering in my chest.

I'm so excited I nearly leave the buck behind but, upon glancing back, I slap my forehead and go back to him. This hunt was much more successful than I anticipated. I hadn't expected to run into them again, it's been almost a month since I met them in the clearing. I'm glad it turned out this way though. I have so much to look forward to now. 

And gods, if they still aren't as gorgeous as the first time I saw them. Maybe things would be different if I wasn't so enamored with them. I barely know them but there's just something I can't quite put my finger on, something about them that makes my heart beat like a drum in my chest.

I only hope I get to explore these feelings with them.


	20. Day 20: Friendship

"Come on, you have to play!" Elliott nudges an obviously annoyed Bloodhound with his elbow. I can't help but giggle when they snap and, like a snake biting its prey, grab his wrist and twist his arm back with one fluid motion.

"Enough." 

"O-okay, o-owie. Uncle, uncle!" They let go of his arm and cross their arms over their chest. I beckon Elliott back to the table where the uno cards are waiting, he begrudgingly sits down with Ajay, Anita and I. Bloodhound doesn't move an inch, they just watch silently. If I didn't know better I'd think they are curious about the game. I shrug it off for the moment and focus on my hand, it's all crap except for the singular red +2 card. Anita flips over the first card: Blue. Ajay, on her right, drops down a blue 5. Elliott is next and, with a smirk in my direction, drops down a wild +4. My jaw drops and my gaze flickers with intensity between his (handsome) face and the cards in his hand.

"I call bullshit! You have a blue!" His smirk falters momentarily before flipping his cards to reveal...no blues. I sigh in frustration and grumble as I pick up 6 cards, Bloodhound chuckles from the sidelines.

"So if you don't have the color you do that? Vhat if her call out vas correct?" Elliott glances over at them in surprise.

"W-well in that case I'd have to pick up 6 cards." 

"But that says +4." I smile up at them and gesture for them to move closer. Elliott jumps up and pulls another chair in-between mine and his.

"If I call him out but lose I have to pick up two penalty cards as well as the four so...six." They nod and I show them my cards, they seem content just watching as we go around the circle again. The card in the pile, placed by Elliott, is a green 2. I flash Bloodhound my cards to let them choose what to play, they pick up a yellow 2.

"That works." They chuckle and toss the card onto the table.

"So you wanna start over and we can add you in?" They seem to contemplate this and shake their head.

"I vill join after." Artur squawks and swoops down to knock the pile of cards over, Elliott tries to swat him away. He angrily caws and flies over to pull at his wavy brown locks. For a second it looks like Elliott might end up in a fist fight with the raven.

"Eli, stop! Stop! He's just a bird, a naughty bird, but a bird nonetheless." I shout and slap at Elliott's hand. Bloodhound tilts their head at me, somehow I get the feeling they are smiling under the mask.

"Besides that's not a fight you can win." Anita adds, Ajay playfully slaps her shoulder as she laughs. All of a sudden Artur flies overhead in a circular motion before landing gracefully on my shoulder. When I turn to glance at him he tilts his head in a manner that is eerily similar to Bloodhound. I giggle and smile at the trouble maker and 'boop his snoot'. 

The rest of the night goes by quickly, we all laugh and share fond memories of each other in the ring. Heck, Ajay and Anita even share some funny stories from bad dates they've been on. Elliott inevitably gets pecked at by Artur some more, I can't help but laugh (because he totally deserves it). Bloodhound loosens up too, they laugh more freely and add to the lively conversation.

I have to admit, this is probably my favorite day since I've joined the ranks of legend. I just hope days like these will happen more often but even if they don't I will cherish it for as long as I can remember.


	21. Day 21: Scars

𝘐 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯, 𝘐 𝘴𝘦𝘸 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘶𝘵  
𝘔𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩  
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭  
𝘐 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭

I lay on the floor feeling disconnected from myself, I stare down at my thigh in a hypnotic way. My eyes trace over every jagged and uneven scar, they cross paths wildly with no direction. I touch the skin, my hand is cold in comparison. I shiver just a bit.

I squeeze my eyes shut and furrow my eyebrows as if I could see something more...ethereal without my eyesight. But it never seems to come...

𝘋𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐'𝘮 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦  
𝘐'𝘮 𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 '𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦?  
'𝘊𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘪𝘹 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧  
𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘦, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘴

The door swings open to reveal a disgruntled and exhausted Bloodhound, I can feel their intense gaze on my face before I open my eyes. I bite back all the angry words threatening to bubble out of my throat. After awhile the anger morphs into sadness. As if another layer of sadness could overlap my already depressed thoughts...The feeling is debilitating. They sit down beside me and pull me against their side while petting my hair back. There's no need for words, we both know that much.

Nothing I could say could describe how I'm feeling accurately and no words they utter could bring me comfort right now. Not in this state...

𝘐 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯, 𝘐 𝘴𝘦𝘸 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘶𝘵  
𝘔𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩  
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭  
𝘐 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭

𝘐 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦  
𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥  
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥  
𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯'𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥

"Elska, perhaps you've thought too much. Maybe ve should sleep?" I shrug and curl into their side, one of their hands caresses my thigh. I subconsciously flinch but rest my hand atop theirs, it helps keep me grounded in an odd way.

"Do you ever feel like it's not enough?"

"..."

"You always try to comfort me, try to talk me through these...thoughts. These horrible, mind-numbing..."

"Elska..."

"H-hound..."

"No matter vhat, through thick or thin ve have to be there for each other. I vill gladly do it over and over again if it means you'll be by my side another day...minute...second..." I smile sadly and climb into their lap, they wrap their arms around me in a tight embrace. I let out a little giggle as they stand up, and without letting go, they take me back to our shared bedroom. They lay down and I fall comfortably beside them, I link our arms and stare up at the bare ceiling. 

The room feels less and less suffocating by the second, I finally begin to relax. My body was tense but now I feel like I could melt into the pillows and sheets...they're just so plush...

Bloth rolls onto their side and pulls me against their chest, I inhale their natural pine scent... somehow they always smell like the outdoors even if they've been inside all day. But I love it...

"Hound?"

"Hmmm?" They are clearly tired.

"I l-love you, y'know? Thank you..."

"ég elska þig." I close my eyes and sigh in content.

I'm safe. 

I'm loved.

Even with the scars on my body, the scars that plague my mind...

They still love me.

What more could I ask for?


	22. Day 22: Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SMUT ALERT ;)

"Mmm..m-more..." It comes out as a whine but to the trained ear it's an obvious plea. And that trained ear? Well, they are listening intently from the left side of your shared bed. Bloodhound sits up, their back is against the headboard and their arms are crossed over their chest. Their pupils are dilated as they wait for the right moment to "strike". That simply means their restraint is faltering to the point that they will wake you up and give you exactly what your subconscious is begging for, what you are begging for. But not yet, for now they continue to watch and listen.

"Hound..." It's a breathy whisper. They aren't even sure they heard it but when they watch you rub your legs together and roll onto your back...well, with your mouth hanging open and the way you continue to roll your hips... All the signs are there and it must be one hell of a sex dream.

They can only imagine what your dream is like, your sex life together is as healthy as it can be. And the fact that they are invading your dreams...well, it excites them in an a way that words couldn't describe accurately.

Maybe you're thinking about their hands trailing over every inch of your bare skin as they worship your body. They know all of your most sensitive areas and with a few well placed kisses they'd have you writhing around beneath them. Then, if they are feeling merciful, they would skip all the teasing to plunge their tongue deep inside of your warm cavern as their thumb traces tight circles over your clit. And, just like you are now, you'd whimper and whine as you beg for your release. They'd switch to sucking your clit to intensify the pressure as they press two fingers inside. Their fingers would curl up at just the right angle as they continue their abuse on your sensitive bundle of nerves, if they are lucky they can make you scream. Well, they can always get you to scream but it usually depends on how confident you're feeling. And they always make sure to tell you how beautiful you look when you come undone around their fingers and mouth. 

That's usually all it takes before you orgasm for the first time. For them though, once is never enough. They want you to stay up on cloud nine as long you'll let them continue to touch you (which usually ends after the third or fourth orgasm). 

After that first time they change up their approach as the atmosphere changes from sweet to hot and heavy almost immediately. Their body covers yours in an instant, you grind against their thigh as they suck dark purple bruises over the exposed skin of your neck. They never get intimate with you without at least leaving one mark to claim you as theirs. And you've told them so many times how much that thought turns you on so it ends up working out perfectly for the both of you.

Once your body is littered with lovebites and your slick is covering their thigh they take a step back. You usually whine in protest until their hands are under you knees as they push your legs open wide enough to slot their body between them. Precum is leaking out of the tip of their cock at this point...

"Baby, please..." Your soft voice brings them back to the present, their erection is pressing painfully against their compression shorts. And that's when they decide they have waited long enough. They discard every bit of remaining clothes and reach their arm out. You're still on your back so they immediately squeeze your breasts to draw a few moans out of you. It's after they pinch your nipple that you jolt awake and sit up before turning to look at them. They lean on their side as your eyes scan their entirely naked body. They can't help but notice the dark blush blossoming over your cheeks.

"Do you remember your dream?" Their smirk is impossible to miss as your face turns a deeper shade of crimson.

"Yes." It's now that you realize your body is burning up, you quickly shed your clothes while Bloth watches with a raised eyebrow.

"So eager." They push you back down, without their help you willingly spread your legs for them. You watch as they move their hand towards your entrance but you shake your head with vigor. 

"N-no foreplay, p-please just fuck me." The desperation in your voice does more than enough to convince them as they line themself up with your dripping cunt. They press only the head inside to "test the waters". They groan once they feel just how ready you are for them and without another moment of hesitation they slam inside and moan your name. They purposefully stay perfectly still until you attempt to push your hips up to get them to move.

"Say it, falleg kona. Please?" They stare at you with such adoration it makes your heart flutter but when you remember the heat burning in your abdomen your thoughts run wild at the request.

"Houndie, p-please, please!" You wrap your arms around their neck and pull them down until your mouth is close to their ear, "I want you to make love to me." Your voice is barely above a whisper as a shiver travels down their spine. They oblige your request and begin rocking their hips in a steady rhythm as they press hard kisses and bites to your neck. Your moans turn into whines when the friction just isn't enough. They seem to understand your dilemma so they stop nuzzling your neck to change their position. They lean up onto their knees and hold your legs up, the first thrust with the new angle has you crying out with pleasure.

"Gods, r-right there! That feels so good!" You whine and toss your head from side to side as they slam into you relentlessly. You can feel the muscles in your legs tense as you clench around their cock. The heat coiling in your stomach is threatening to burst, you're so close. That's why they look at you through half-lidded eyes, your face is contorted with bliss as they rest one leg over their shoulder to free their hand. Then they slide that hand down your leg and press it against your clit before making a tight circular motion. 

"B-bloodhound!" You scream out as the coil finally snaps. They watch as your fluids squirt out messily, some hits the bed and some barely reaches their lower stomach. This is more than enough for them as they roll their eyes back and slam into you one last time. You're panting and out of breath as they slump over your body, the warmth from their seed invades your abused hole but it feels wonderful. It's almost overwhelming but you're too tired to do anything but pet their hair back as they press a few butterfly kisses across your breasts.

"I like vhen you dream about me." They state almost nonchalantly as the dark blush returns to your already rosy cheeks.

"If we can have sex like that then yeah, me too." They chuckle and you follow up with your own little giggle. Eventually the heat from their body is unbearable as you attempt to push them off of you. They take the hint and pull out to lay down beside you. You turn to face them but keep a little distance between your bodies.

"I love you Houndie." 

"ég elska þig líka." 

"Okay now I want to get some more sleep." 

"I vill join you this time, beloved."


	23. Day 23: Meal

The candles on the table illuminate Bloodhound's pale face perfectly. Their blind eye looks glossy, glossier than usual, but it only adds to their attractiveness. Their other eye is trained on my face as they wait for me to pick up my fork. I bite my lip nervously and do so, the plate in front of me smells wonderful but looks strange. It's a dish they cooked especially for me, it's something called plokkfiskur. They described it as fish stew with boiled cod and mashed potatoes. There's something else in it but they refuse to tell me, it's apparently a secret ingredient that's specific to their family recipe. 

I shrug it off and guide my fork to the plate, I grab as much on it as possible and swallow that first bite. I take a sip of wine to follow it down, it slides down my throat with ease. I smile at them as it settles in my stomach, they wait eagerly for what I have to say.

"That was actually delicious, how come you never told me you can cook?" They smile kindly as the flame flickers.

"I vas afraid you vould expect me to cook more often." I giggle and shake my head. Bloodhound is anything but lazy, I've known them for quite some time so I know this for a fact.

"That can't be it." They take a sip of their drink, I'm not exactly sure what it is but after they drink it the tension visibly leaves their body. Their shoulders sag and they lean back in the chair for a moment as they formulate their response in their head.

"I vas vorried you vould not enjoy the food of my culture, elska. My beliefs and my culture are everything to me, you rejecting that vould break my heart." I smile sadly and set my fork down before leaning across the table to grab their hand.

"Bloodhound, you are everything to me. I love that we're so different and I accept you for who you are. You never need to worry about that." They squeeze my hand and let go to continue eating. The sound of forks scraping the plates and glasses clinking as they are set down is all that can be heard. We finish the meal without speaking another word, once we're done I gather the plates up and they blow out the candle. They follow me into the kitchen, I stand in front of the sink and set the plates inside as they wrap their arms around my waist.

"I'd like it if you'd make that for me again sometime, anytime...It was truly stupendous, Houndie. You really amaze me." They press a kiss to my shoulder and nuzzle my neck. I pick up the sponge and drizzle some dish soap on it before beginning to scrub the dishes. Though Bloodhound makes it difficult as their trail of kisses reach my jaw and back down to my neck. They suck the tender flesh and I begin to tremble under their touch.

"H-hound..." They groan against the abused skin and squeeze my hips hard.

"I can think of a few vays you can thank me...if you're up for it, of course." I suck in a breath as their lips softly brush against the forming bruises.

"Let me show you just how much I appreciate it." I turn in their arms and push them back until they hit the wall. I fall to my knees and unbuckle their belt. Their erection is pressing uncomfortably against the front of their black cargo pants.

"Oh elska..."

"I hope you're not tired, Houndie. I plan on keeping you up late tonight." Their breath hitches in their throat as I begin to undo the button and zipper of their pants.

"I look forward to it..."

And we spent the night with our limbs tangled and sweat glistening across our bodies. It was about 4 in the morning by the time we were too exhausted to continue but up until then we made every single second together count.

All I know is that I wouldn't have it any other way.


	24. Day 24: Hobby

𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

I mouth along to the words appearing across the bright screen, they flow out of me without a second thought. My tablet is normally untouched aside from when I partake in this particular habit of mine. But I write so often I ended up buying a bluetooth keyboard just to simplify the process (and I also deleted a LOT of work by accident before I got it).

𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

My thoughts continue to race a million miles a minute as the door to my shared bedroom opens. I ignore the approaching footsteps and continue to type.

𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

"Vhat are you writing, elska?" I'm startled out of my trance and my train of thought comes crashing down around me. I glare up at Bloth and purse my lips.

"Just a story."

"About?" I realize I've been writing mindlessly all this time so I skim over my work to give them a quick recap.

𝘖𝘩, 𝘖𝘏!

A crimson red blush coats my cheeks and neck as I look up at Bloth. My eyes are blown wide and I start nibbling my lip as I decide how to tell them.

"W-well," Ah shit, that stutter is an obvious indication for them," It's n-nothing." They raise an eyebrow and smirk.

"'Nothing' makes your face as red as a tomato?" 

"U-uh, w-well-"

"Tell me." They demand, I finally relent and sag my shoulders.

"It's about you." They gesture with their hand for me to continue. "And...me." It comes out as a whisper, they don't even try to hide their surprise. But before I can process it a smirk etches itself onto their face and they sit on the arm of my chair.

"Let me read it."

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦, 𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬...

I wait impatiently and tap the coffee table in front of me while shaking my leg. My nerves are frayed as I wait for them to finish, when they are done they rest a hand on my shoulder carefully.

"I didn't know-"

"Sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry-" I manage to sqeak out and continue to apologize until they press a finger to my lips.

"Elska this is quite, vhat's the vord?" They take a moment to think about it. "Ah, vulgar! It's very descriptive too..." If I could catch on fire I would, my face and ears are burning worse than ever before.

"I'm-"

"No, no stop..." They grab my chin between their pointer finger and thumb before turning my head so I'm looking at them. "I liked it very much."

I open and close my mouth like a fish out of water until an idea pops into my head. I return my focus to the tablet once more.

𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴. 𝘞𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘣𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮.

𝘖𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦. 

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴.

They read it quickly and smirk again before basically jumping off the chair. I accept their extended hand with an equally devious face as they pull me to my feet. And, like I wrote, they wordlessly drag me over to the bed.

𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘩!


	25. Day 25: Fear

The white walls feel like they are caving in around me. The monitors steady beeping is the only thing that keeps me grounded as I wait for the doctor. My head is pressed hard against the firm pillow of the hospital bed and the blankets are pulled up over my chest. The "bracelet" on my hand is uncomfortable, the edges scratch at my wrist as I constantly move my hand back and fourth (nervously, of course). I hold it up over my heart and read the name over and over again: _____ Hundur (As if seeing our shared named would bring me some sort of comfort).

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸

I've been here for an hour or so, right after the bleeding started. I mean, bleeding can be normal, right? But I'm already 34 weeks along in this pregnancy and everything has been okay up until this point. All I know is that I can't fathom losing this baby, our baby, not after what happened last time...

I tremble at the mere thought of it all as the door swings open. A doctor steps inside followed by two nurses, they smile reassuringly at me and begin preparing the equipment for an ultrasound.

"So miss _____, you're having some trouble?"

"J-just a little bleeding." I stutter out, I'm incredibly anxious right now.

"Any pain associated with it?" I shake my head and let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding in.

"Your files indicate something similar in your history?" I let out a shaky breath and try not to cry.

"M-my first born was a, " It's so hard for me to talk about," still born." He nods and smiles apologetically.

"Alright well, let's get started here. I'll perform a physical examination, a pap, and then we'll move on to an ultrasound." I nod as he beckons me to get further down the bed. I plant my feet apart and nearly jump out of my skin when something thumps against the window. The doctor and I direct our attention to the silk black raven, his beady eyes feel like they are ripping through my soul. But I sigh in relief, somehow they were able to track me.

The raven in question, Artur, caws and pecks at the window incessantly until one of the nurses opens it to shoo him away.

"I wouldn't-" Before I can get it out she screams in horror as he comes barreling into the room and circles over the bed while continuing his incessant noises. "That's Artur, my spouses companion. He won't stop until they find me." The doctor nods and sighs in an agitated way, I shrug as heavy footsteps reverberate in the hallway. They reach the door and damn near slam it off its hinges.

"Oh elska," their voice is full of emotion as they approach the bed, "vhat's happening?" The doctor clears his throat as Artur beings to settle down, he perches himself on my prominent baby bump.

"Just some bleeding, it could be nothing but we're running tests now to be sure." I take one of their gloved hands in mine and squeeze tightly before scanning their uniform. "Oh sweetie, you're still in your outfit from the game today." They shrug it off immediately with a wave of their free hand.

"This is more important than my comfort." I flinch as a device is inserted inside and close my eyes, it's over just as soon as it started.

"Alright get comfortable and please, remove the bird from the room. This is a medical facility, not a zoo." I scratch under Artur's chin as Bloodhound whistles, he leaves through the same window he entered in. Afterwards I crawl up the bed, Bloodhound does their best to guide me the whole way. They absolutely refuse to let go of my hand and, for that, I'm incredibly grateful. 

The doctor bids us farewell for the moment and leaves the room with one of the nurses, the other nurse stays and boots up the monitor for the ultrasound. I lift up my hospital gown to free my bump, she smiles and rubs a few drops of gel over it after pulling on a fresh pair of gloves. Bloodhound brushes my hair off my face as she sets the transducer over the gel and moves it around. She goes back and fourth a few times, the panic is rising within me. But, at last, the heartbeat plays through the monitors. It eases most of the worry and I sigh in content, I get butterflies everytime his little heart thumps.

"Is my son okay?" They squeeze my hand again and the nurse glances over at us.

"Only the doctor can give you that information. On the bright side, there's definitely a heartbeat." I frown slightly and throw my head back. She finishes taking a few pictures and cleans off the equipment. Bloodhound takes a few napkins to help wipe off my stomach, when she leaves the room they pop the tubes from their respirator off to remove their mask. They shake out their ginger locks, a few braids with beads click together as they do so. I look up at them adoringly, I almost forget where I am at the moment as our eyes meet. Their one blue-gray eye and the other glazed over white eye seem to lock onto mine as a small smile makes its way to their face. I hardly even notice the scarring on their face but it never bothered me to begin with. If anything, it reminds me of their 'coming-of-age' story. And, well, I love them. Regardless of everything and anything, they are my better half.

"Beloved..." They rest their forehead against mine, I close my eyes and enjoy their close proximity. The warmth radiating from them feels wonderful in comparison to the coolness of the room. "Are you okay?"

"I mean, you heard-"

"No, my falleg kona (beautiful wife). Are YOU okay?" I can feel the tears begin to well up in my eyes and slowly start to cascade down my face. After sniffling a few times they wipe my cheek with their thumb to clean off the streaks of tears.

"H-how am I supposed to be alright?" They shush me and press a soft kiss to my lips.

"Everything happens for a reason but don't vorry, I know in my heart that everything vill be okay."

"I just-" There's an abrupt knock on the door, Bloth calls out for them to wait a moment so they can put their mask back on. As soon as they're done they call the doctor in, I grab their hand again as he stands at the foot of the bed.

"The baby is fine." I let out a huge sigh of relief, "But we are diagnosing you with partial placenta previa, which essentially means the placenta covers part of your cervix." Bloodhound squeezes my hand, much harder than before.

"Vhat does this mean for the pregnancy?" I'm glad Bloth is able to stay composed, I'm not sure if it's my hormones or the anxiety but I cry again.

"Well, we're going to place you on bed rest until you have the baby. You should make an appointment to see your OB and talk about your options further but it would be safer for you to schedule an early delivery to ensure the baby's safety. Blood loss can be a cause for worry in general so keep track of your symptoms. If you begin to feel dizzy or excessively nauseous you need to come back right away so we can continue to monitor you until you deliver."

"Okay, thank you so much..." The tears continue to flow and Bloodhound does their best to calm me down.

"I'll have the nurse come by with your discharge papers." He nods at us and exits the room. Bloodhound leans down and envelopes me in a hug, I wrap my arms around their neck and kiss their shoulder.

"He's okay, he's okay..." My voice is muffled by their shoulder pads.

"And you vill let me take care of you for the rest of this pregnancy, beloved. I love you and our son more than anything. Let me make certain you vill both stay safe." I nod in agreement.

My heart is beating wildly in my chest for an entirely different reason than before. There's no way they could truly know if everything will be okay but I do know I trust them.

I trust them more than anything so I push the rising fear aside and put my faith in them.

We'll be okay.


	26. Day 26: Holiday

A tiny stuffed owl with a heart sewn to its chest rests on the coffee table. I eagerly await the moment Bloodhound wakes up, it's still early (even by their standards). After glancing at the clock I sigh in frustration and tap my foot impatiently against the floor.

4:43 a.m.

Artur is in the living room with me preening his feathers while comfortably resting on the couch cushion. I finally decide to get my ass into gear and jump off the couch. The sudden movement has Artur cawing with disdain as he retreats to the bedroom. I shrug it off and excitedly make my way to the kitchen and begin preparing their favorite breakfast: A vegetable and cheese omelette with a cup of chamomile tea to wash it down. They say starting the day off with a calming breakfast makes the rest of the day smoother and, honestly, I believe them. It's very rare they have a so-called "off day" so there is a method to their madness.

Regardless, today is a special day: Valentine's Day. I want nothing more than to spend the day relaxing with them and hopefully we can have an evening we'll remember for years to come. Besides, they still aren't used to celebrating my holidays. When they saw all the decorations I had prepared for christmas they nearly fainted, but we ended up having such a wonderful day. And while Valentine's day is not nearly as special I still want them to enjoy doing all the gross, lovey-dovey stuff with me.

So here I am at five in the morning with the stove turned on to a medium heat while I crack four eggs in a separate bowl. I put the rest of the carton back into the fridge before pulling out a small plastic cutting board. The vegetables I decide on are broccoli, carrots, red peppers and a small amount of diced onions (just enough to add extra flavor). One by one I cut them up, once they are prepared I drop a generous glob of butter into the pan. I push it around until the entirety of the bottom of the pan is covered to keep the omelette from burning or sticking to it. 

I turn on another burner with my kettle on top (already full of water, of course). After dumping the stirred egg whites and yolk into the pan I carelessly toss the cut up vegetables into it and cover the pan for the time being. I pull a spatula from a drawer and set it on the counter before searching a cupboard for the tea bags. The chamomile tea is the back, I strain myself to reach it but it's to no avail. And the step-ladder I usually keep nearby is missing.

Crap. I sigh in frustration and give the omelette my attention once more. Using the spatula I flip it and wait a minute or so before folding it into a semi-circle. The water comes to a boil and the kettle begins squealing, I quickly turn off the burner and nearly jump out of my skin when I'm pulled back against something...or someone... hard. Their body is warm and I realize they aren't wearing a shirt as I'm pulled against them with absolutely no space between us.

"Góðan daginn elskan mín (Good morning my love)." I smile warmly at the sound of their sleepy voice.

"Mornin' Houndie, I'm surprised you're awake already." They grumble under their breath before responding.

"A certain feathered friend of mine vas not so kind to me." The offending raven flies through an open window above the sink in the kitchen, I giggle and shake my head at his antics.

"Well breakfast is almost done, sit down." Bloodhound reaches up to a different cupboard and grabs a plate out before setting it on the table as they sit down. I grab the handle of the pan and, with the spatula in my other hand, scoop the omelette out and onto their plate. After setting the pan down in the sink I grab utensils for them and a small mug for the tea. "Um, Hound?"

"Hmmm?"

"I can't reach your tea." They chuckle and check around for it.

"It's in the back. Vhy didn't you-?" They pretend to hesitate for a moment and smirk, "Right, you are very short." I playfully roll my eyes at them.

"Can't help it, Houndie. And I was just trying to do something nice for you since it's Valentine's Day." They raise an eyebrow and pour themself a cup of tea.

"Valentine's Day?"

"There's a story, something to do with the feast of Saint Valentine, but it's a day to celebrate love and affection." They nod and smile at me, their eyes are filled with obvious adoration.

"Vell, I appreciate this gesture elskan."

"Anything for you 'cause I love yoooou!" I jokingly poke their cheek, they swat my hand away as I prance to the living room to retrieve my gift for them. I hold it behind my back as I re-enter the kitchen, they are in the middle of lifting their fork to their mouth with a large piece of omelette speared on the prongs. "And there's more, sweetheart." They chew the piece and swallow loudly.

"More?"

"More. This is a gift for you," I hold out the plushie, "I want you to know 𝘰𝘸𝘭 always love you!" They groan while keeping a smile plastered on their face.

"You spend too much time vith Natalie." I shrug as they set it on the table in front of their plate. "It's cute, almost as cute as you." I blush a rosy pink and bite my lip.

"I can show you how much I love you when you're done with breakfast." We share a look and they nod vigorously.

"I think I vill take you up on that offer, beautiful."

"I'd be honored if you would. Oh, and um, Hound?" They stare up at me with tired eyes.

"Happy Valentine's Day." 

The smile they offer makes my heart skip a beat. I could die happy knowing I'm the cause of that breathtaking smile. Everything about them makes me feel special, wanted and needed so being able to return the favor occasionally is more than I could ever wish for. 

𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦.


	27. Day 27: Music

"How ya'll doin' tonight?!" I wave my hands to get the crowd of legends excited, it seemingly works for the playboy Mirage and the daredevil Octane. They hoot and holler loud enough to make up for the lack of enthusiasm from the others. I move the mic away from my mouth to let out a giggle. 

"This next song is a bit...personal. I hope you enjoy our cover of 'Linger' by the Cranberries." I hold hold the mic up and step to the front of the stage, "It's an old Earth band so you probably won't recognize it but, like I said, enjoy." I take a deep calming breath as the band starts up.

𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯  
𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯  
𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘥𝘦  
𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘶𝘥𝘦  
𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦  
𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵  
𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺  
𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦  
𝘐 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦  
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸, 𝘴𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶  
𝘚𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥?  
𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥?  
𝘞𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦?  
𝘞𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶?

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐'𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱  
𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶  
𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳  
𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳?  
𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰, 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰, 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳?

I sway to the beat and shut my eyes tightly as a few tears threaten to spill. It feels like there's something constricting my heart as I think about the past. My ex was...something. He manipulated me into believing I was the only one, but when things started falling short of perfect I was blamed. Like somehow I single-handedly destroyed everything we worked so hard to build.

One day I was on top and then everything came crashing down around me. At last a stray tear escapes, I quickly wipe it away with the back of my hand and continue on.

𝘖𝘩, 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶  
𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘰 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨  
𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨, 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨  
𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘣𝘺  
𝘛𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘦  
𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥  
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘴𝘰 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥  
𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸  
𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐'𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱  
𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶  
𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳  
𝘋𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳?  
𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰, 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰, 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳?

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐'𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱  
𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶  
𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳  
𝘋𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳?  
𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰, 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰, 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳?

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶  
𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳  
𝘋𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳?  
𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰, 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰, 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳?

I wrap up the song without shedding another tear. It's been years since everything happened, I know it's for the best at the end of the day. Sometimes I like to relive it for just a moment, to feel truly human.

In reality I've moved on. The apple of my eye is someone I'd never have a shot with in a million years but the heart wants what the heart wants. 

I perform every saturday at the Paradise Lounge, it's closed to the public so I've been spending more time with the legends. And for someone so...quiet...they are strangely alluring.

The way they listen to conversations objectively is wonderful, their input is usually more helpful than hurtful. Although they do have a tendency to berate Caustic but who could really blame them for that? Regardless, their kindness seems endless for their fellow legends and for some reason it's been extending to me lately. A well placed compliment has me blushing and, embarrassingly enough, giggling like a school girl. I usually cut the conversation short after that and run away because I have no way to explain the reason for my actions. Or, more than likely, I don't want to admit my feelings.

Someone like that could never like a nobody like me.

"____?" I'm shaken from my thoughts by the legend plaguing my mind: Bloodhound. 

"O-oh yeah, what's up?" They hum quietly which I've noticed is something they do in place of laughing occasionally.

"You seem distracted." I play it off as cool as possible.

"Just the song, y'know?"

"I don't think that's it. I saw the tear, you vould be more distraught if it vas that." My eyes widen in surprise at how direct they are being. I guess I should have known they would see right through my excuse.

"I have a..." I try to think of the most appropriate way to word it, "a crush on someone." 

"You vish to crush somebody?" Their relaxed stance and the tilt of their head makes me realize it's a joke. I laugh nervously and blush a dark shade of red.

"Something like that." I turn to walk away from the tension filling the air but they reach a hand out to grab my wrist.

"My apologies," They immediately let go as I face them once again, "But I am curious. Is it Elliott?" They almost sound...upset?

"No, playboys aren't my thing. And not Tavi, either."

"Hmm." 

"Hound-" They put their finger up and I look around, all the legends are staring between the two of us. The mic is still on...

𝘐'𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘵

"I don't take offense to that, by the way." Elliott chimes in, "I know I'm a charmer." He winks and I let my head fall in my hands.

"I'm so sorry." 

"Don't apologize sistah, just get to the good part!" Jolly 'ol Gibby, huh?

"Yeah, spit it out! You've been dancing around each other for weeks." Anita adds with a chuckle. My head shoots up in her direction.

"W-what?"

"It's obvious, you need tah tell 'em how yah feel." Ajay interjects, my jaw feels like it's about to fall off while my face feels like it's going to melt with how much I'm blushing.

"I think you already did but...H-hound, I want to tell you something. In private!" I exclaim and make a point by emphasizing myself turning off the mic. A few groans erupt in the crowd.

"I really like you, like, a lot. And I'm sorry if this makes things weird, can we still be friends?" They nervously extend a hand forward and intertwine their hand with mine.

"I'd like it if ve could be more than friends." I beam at them and squeeze their hand gently.

"Me too, Houndie, me too..." They yank my hand to pull me against their chest and I wrap my arms around their mid-section. If I'm being honest I'm not sure where to place my hands but they don't seem to mind as the legends cheer for us.

"Thanks guys." My voice is muffled by their overcoat.

"Vould you like to join me for dinner?" I pretend to contemplate it so as not to seem too eager.

"Of course."

And it was the best evening of my life. 

Sometimes happiness seems unobtainable but when it's good, it's great.

And you know what? I deserve this.


	28. Day 28: Treasure

Containment may possibly be my least favorite place to drop. After all the madness is over you're usually left somewhere in the ring between a few other hot drops. Which means, you're either getting wiped out by a hard third party or you're stuck deciding which direction to go based on how close to the edge of the ring you are. 

So when our squadmate, Caustic, drops Bloodhound and I at the tallest building in containment...well, I'm less than thrilled. I scramble off the roof of the metal death trap and kick the door open senselessly (I had no time to waste on being civilized at this point). The only weapon in sight is a mozambique, fortunately for me there's a hammerpoint attachment beside it. After equiping the attachment my earpiece rings with background static as the comms line officially opens up.

"Enemies have set off my gas traps at the front entrance." Bloodhound bolts up the stairs and scans, two enemies are outlined with their radar. I check to make sure the gun is loaded with the safety off and climb onto the roof. The gas canisters are continuing to spray the noxious fumes but they are quickly dying out. I wait for the final hissing noises and jump down in front of the door.

"Pushing from the front."

"Copy, I vill herd them your vay." A barrage of bullets spray into the wall of the main room, Octane and a rookie retreat to the doorway I'm currently blocking. The stimmed up daredevil quickly does a 180° turn and attempts to flee out of a side door. The rookie flails as they turn, which causes them to fall face first into the metal floor. There's a part of me that wants to have sympathy for him but I don't as I unload my entire magazine into his back. He's downed immediately due to the fact that he had no shield. I step over them and make my way out the same door Octane exited through, Bloodhound is now stationed on the roof. They have a longbow DMR set up on a crate with the sights aimed down on the speed demon (who is currently on the circular platform with three supply bins). I try to be quiet as the rookie is "thirsted" by Caustic, their third is still nowhere in sight.

"Octane is fleeing, I cannot get a shot on him." I huff out in frustration and jump over the railing. After landing gracefully on both feet I rush forward and use my ultimate. With the 20 second speed boost I push towards a jump pad Octane threw down during his great escape. Adrenline (natural, not stims) courses through my veins, I let out a boisterous laugh as I fling myself onto a nearby building. I realize I still only have a mozambique so I simply watch as Octane runs towards someone (I'm guessing it's his remaining teammate).

"They are in that wooden cabin." I turn around and shrug at the two legends below me. When the heck did they get there?

"You were rushing, why did you stop?" I hold my mozambique up. "Insect." He tries to mutter it but his mic is still turned on. I huff out and drop down to join them. Caustic runs off towards the cabin, Bloodhound and I fall behind him (much farther than we should have). I toss my earpiece to the ground and crush it under the heel of my boot as Bloodhound chuckles and shakes their head.

"You seemed to be having fun earlier." 

"Mmm, I was. Sometimes it's nice to let loose."

"It suits you." I smile warmly at them as shots are fired up ahead. Without much thought I ignore the screams of pain as Caustic mercilessly drops a gas grenade on Octane and his teammate.

"You're being cute. Stop being cute." They hold up a finger and drop their backpack from their shoulders. It takes a second of some digging around before they pull out a box of shotgun shells and a hammerpoint attachment. I accept both without letting them know I already have the aforementioned attachment.

"I found some treasure for you in their fallen teammates box."

"It's all that Caustic left behind, right?" They toss their backpack on again wordlessly.

"You know something Houndie?" Another scream of agony tears through our quiet conversation.

"Hmm?"

"You don't need to give me stuff all the time. You know why?"

"Please enlighten me, elska."

"It's because you're the only treasure I need. You're irreplaceable to me." I smile adoringly at them. They tilt their head down bashfully but it snaps up quickly in the direction of the house.

"Our brother in arms has been knocked, ve should help him." I nod and turn to run towards Caustic. "Ve can discuss this more at home." 

"I have a feeling there won't be much talking." I giggle and reload my gun as Bloodhound enters 'Beast of the Hunt'. They don't bother replying as they rush inside, I follow behind them like the good teammate I am. 

Caustic glares at me as he bleeds out, I drop to his side and slam a syringe in his chest.

"Yeah, yeah, screw you too." 

"Insect." He spews with obvious hatred.

"At least I can get laid." Bloodhound cleans up the last member of the squad. They stand in front of us and charge their shield up.

"Elska."

"You agreed with your silence." I help Caustic to his feet and begin looting the deathbox. 

There's one thing Caustic can't ruin, my relationship with Bloodhound could withstand anything. 

And I'm so thankful for being lucky enough to have their heart. 

No object, no matter its value, could compare to the fact that I have their heart (and they have mine).


	29. Day 29: Skin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NSFW content :)

I toss and turn in bed as the cool night air flows through our bedroom. Something has been bothering me recently and I try not to bring it up with Bloodhound. They have never let me see their face, which I am respectful of, but we've been together for quite some time. And I love them, nothing could be a deal breaker at this point. But again, I don't want to bring it up and make them feel pressured to do anything about it.

The last thing I want to do is make them feel uncomfortable.

I groan in frustration and sit up in bed. Bloodhound still isn't home, their match is probably almost over by now. It's not too late in the evening, maybe around 8 o'clock, but I'm absolutely exhausted. After reaching towards the nightstand I grab the remote and press the power button. The T.V. powers on, the champion squad is standing proudly in front of one of the many drones that fly around the battlefield. Bangalore, Wraith and Bloodhound are side by side, Wraith waves shyly while Bangalore and Bloodhound stand around stoically. Although, with the mask, Bloodhound always comes off as stoic (but that's beside the point).

There's a fluttering feeling in my stomach, I run my hands over the bare skin of my growing bump. My mind wanders back to Bloodhound, I'm excited they won but I still can't get my mind off of what's underneath the mask. Somehow, even in my head, it's hard to believe I got pregnant before ever seeing their face. To be fair, it was a total accident (not a mistake by any means, I truly love them and our unborn child). It just...happened. 

𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘰𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵, 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦, 𝘐 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘢.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵. 

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘵. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯. 𝘉𝘶𝘵, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘬𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘰𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘣𝘺.

"𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥. 𝘞𝘦'𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘸." 𝘈𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘳.

"𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺?" 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘐 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘥, 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.

"𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘯𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮." 

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘢, 𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘺. 𝘈𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘐 𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘳. 𝘐 𝘢𝘪𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘯𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘐 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘪𝘮 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘯 𝘬𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘻𝘻𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘢𝘳. 𝘐 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘐 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳.

"𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘶𝘱." 

"𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳." 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘯. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘐 𝘢𝘥𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳. 

"𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯." 𝘐 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘱. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘱. 𝘐 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘩 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴(𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩).

"𝘏-𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥..." 𝘐 𝘮𝘰𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳.

"𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘷𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘵, á𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯 𝘮í𝘯." 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘵, 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘱 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘻𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘱𝘶𝘴𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘢 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘯𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘦.

"𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩-𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦?" 𝘐 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘢𝘯.

"𝘕𝘰."

'𝘙𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 60 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘴'

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱. 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘱𝘶𝘴𝘩 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴.

"𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵. 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬." 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘭 𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘺𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬. 𝘐𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘬.

"𝘐 𝘸-𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵..." 𝘐 𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘭𝘺, "𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘺-𝘺𝘰𝘶."

"𝘕𝘰." 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘻𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 (𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥, 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦).

"𝘐 𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦." 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘯𝘪𝘱 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦, 𝘸𝘦'𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦, 𝘐'𝘮 𝘶𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭.

'𝘙𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 30 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘴'

"𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘺-𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨-𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩-𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘺." 𝘐 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺. 𝘈𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘻𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴, 𝘐 𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺.

"𝘏-𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥..." 𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦. 

'𝘙𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨'

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘴, 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘶𝘱. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦. 𝘐 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦, 𝘐 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘮 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦.

'𝘛𝘸𝘰 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨'

"𝘍𝘫𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘯..." 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦.

"𝘗-𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦..." 𝘐 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘨𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘵. 𝘐 𝘫𝘰𝘭𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦.

"𝘔𝘮𝘮, 𝘨-𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢-" 𝘐 𝘤𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘮 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘵. 𝘈 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘣𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐'𝘮 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘬.

"𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶." 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘯𝘶𝘻𝘻𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘶𝘮. 𝘐 𝘮𝘰𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦. 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 (𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦).

"𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘦, 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘭𝘦𝘵'𝘴 𝘨𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘯."

The door swings open and shut, I sit up and wiggle towards the edge of the bed.

"I'm home beloved." Bloodhound walks into the room looking worse for the wear, their clothes are disheveled and they have a minor limp.

"Houndie." I pout and pat the spot beside me, they join me after a few moments.

"Should I ask vhy you are naked?" I giggle and lean into them.

"It's hot."

"..."

"..."

"Perhaps I should shower." I stand up and pull them up with me.

"Let me join you." They tense up for a moment.

"No."

"Hound." I try to sound stern, they only sigh in response, "Houndie." My voice is quiet now.

"Elska." 

"Please, you have no reason to be ashamed of yourself." They cross their arms over their chest.

"I have scars."

"And I'm fat and swollen so..." They wrap their arms around my shoulders and press a soft kiss to my forehead.

"That's not your fault." 

"Mmm, yeah it's yours. But regardless," I squeeze their upper arms, "I love you. Do you hear me?"

"Ye-"

"I LOVE you."

"Okay..." My eyes widen in surprise and I take a step back. I scan the dark lense of their mask as their hands come up to the respirator tubes.

"W-wait, if you're seriously not comfortable..."

"No, it's okay." They take a deep breath before removing the mask, I stare in awe at the scars that act as webbing across the entirety of their face. I step forward and gently hold their head in my hands, I let my thumbs trace over some of the scarring.

"You're perfect."

"Hm?" They raise one eyebrow and stare adoringly at me.

"What is it you always say? Scars can tell a story." I press a soft kiss to their cheek. "You're gorgeous and obviously badass, you should tell me the story. O-only if you want to, of course." 

"I'd like that but first, a shower."

"Yeah you smell pretty bad." They playfully smack my shoulder and lean down so our noses are touching. "I really do love you, so much."

"I love you too," They kneel down and nuzzle their cheek against my stomach, "and you too my precious child."


	30. Day 30: Trust

Faith? I have a little bit of that, I like to think I could believe in the Allfather. But trust? That's so much harder to obtain.

You see faith is what you want to believe, what you can believe can be based on abnormal experiences. Not everything has to be entirely based around facts, at least in my opinion, when it comes to faith in a greater being. Sometimes the head and the heart want to believe in things that could bring them comfort. 

Trust, on the other hand, requires proof. Someone who makes the same mistakes over and over again is untrustworthy. And even people who don't make mistakes come off as untrustworthy if they are "too good". It's like someone who hasn't done you wrong is just holding out and when they do fail you, it hurts worse than anything you've ever known. So it takes time and lots of patience to build a relationship on trust.

"Do you trust me?" I stare back at my spouse before inching forward.

"I love you, a lot, but are you SURE this is safe?"

"I'm absolutely positive." I stare down at the water below, the waterfall is tiny (maybe 10 feet at most) but I still 'shake in my boots'. I try to cower away and shrink with fear but Bloodhound sets both hands on my shoulders. Their grasp is tight as they pull me up and, with my back against their chest, they wrap their arms around my waist.

"O-okay," I take a deep breath and close my eyes," I trust you."

And with that they step over the edge. The fall feels like it lasts forever but simultaneously only a millisecond has passed. My heart is thumping in my chest, I can hear it between my ears as all my thoughts vanish from my mind. My stomach feels like it's doing back flips, the butterflies are restless and angrily fluttering around. As soon as my toes hit the water I scream with both fear and excitement. Bloodhound pulls me closer as we go underwater together, when we come up for air they are smirking at me with a knowing look on their face.

"You enjoyed that." They wipe the water from their eyes and face before shaking their hair out.

"That was exhilarating." I breath out slowly while copying their movements. My clothes are sopping wet so I make the executive decision to slip out of them. I start with my shorts and panties. After dipping back underwater I slide out of my shirt and unclip my bra before coming up for air. I bundle up the clothes and toss them on the ground. 

"Interesting." I swim in front of them and throw my arms over their shoulders.

"You should join me, the water feels good." 

"Hmm." They use both hands to grope my ass before squeezing my hips.

"Maybe next time." I pout and press my body against theirs before wrapping my legs around their waist.

"Nobody else is around. C'mon, you already took your mask off. What could be more revealing than seeing 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘭óð𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘳." They chuckle and nuzzle my neck, I moan when I feel their teeth grazing the sensitive flesh.

"You still need to vork on your accent." I roll my eyes playfully and tug on their hair.

"Not fair, I'm trying you, you..." They brush their fingers up and down my sides, I tremble in pleasure and hide my face in their shoulder. There's some rustling in the trees and bushes, Bloodhound drags me towards the edge of the water and pulls me under until it reaches the bottom of my chin.

"Hey, this must be the spot. Hound! Ooooh Bloodhound!" Elliott shouts, the echo of his voice disturbs the birds nesting in the trees surrounding us. They caw angrily and fly away in random directions.

"Yo compadre, shut up and gooo!" Octavio's metal prothetics scrap against the rocks above us before his body comes barreling over the edge. "Woohoo, HELL YEAH!" He falls into the water with a huge splash (huge for someone as 'compact' as him) and Elliott follows closely behind him. Once they come up for air they look around, when Elliott spots us he waves excitedly.

"It's so cool you invited us, Houndie!" I glare between the two men and Bloodhound.

"Why didn't you tell me they were coming?!" I boop their nose and back away from their body. It takes me a moment to contemplate what to do, I press my breasts against the ground and stretch out to reach for my clothes.

"Elska!" I'm pulled down again, when I turn around all three of them are staring at me with dark red blushes adorning their faces.

"I-I'm s-sorry," Elliott covers his face with his hands, "I didn't mean to stare, er, uh, look at her ass." He barely manages to stutter it out as Octavio lets out a nervous laugh.

"To be fair it was a nice culo." I shrug and try to be as nonchalant as possible but I'm internally dying.

"If you speak a vord or comment about it again I vill hunt you both down." I bite my lip before pressing myself against them again. With my face in their neck I speak to them in a hushed whisper.

"That was hot." They chuckle and push some hair out of my face. I hold their face in my hands and press a hard kiss to their lips.

"Yeah, not awkward at all." 

"No it's not, kiss me amigo. This is sooo romantic!" Octavio teases Elliott, I pull away from Bloodhound and giggle.

"No, no! Don't you know I like a little schmoozing first."

"Oh right, sorry." Octavio clear his voice and speaks in a higher pitch, "Oh Elliott, you're so handsome with your hair wet and how tight your muscles look in that shirt! Now kiss me pretty boy!" He makes a kissy face and smacks his lips.

What a strange turn of events...and all because Bloodhound wanted to go swimming.


	31. Day 31: Freestyle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of breast feeding so stop here if you find that offensive (although it's perfectly normal everyone is entitled to how they feel).
> 
> I had a lot of fun writing this so I hope it shows in my work, enjoy!

The days go by in such a blur now. Everything I felt just seems to shake me to my core for just one passionate moment before it's over. But at the end of it all the love is still there. My heart is full of it right now, more than it ever was. More than I ever thought it could be...

"How are you feeling, my love?"

"I'm alright, just...tired."

"That is understandable elska." I smile lovingly at the masked hunter.

"Do you remember the day we got married?" They squeeze my hand and nod, the beads on their helmet clink together and reverberate around the otherwise silent room.

"Of course."

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦, 𝘪𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘶𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯. 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩. 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘫𝘦𝘳𝘬 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵. 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘦'𝘷𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 (𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘹 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳).

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸? 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 (𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦). 𝘈 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥-𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘢𝘬𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴. 𝘌𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘣𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵. 𝘈 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨, 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴, 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘢𝘳. 𝘈𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘴, 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦. 

𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘪𝘭 𝘐 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘩 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘸𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘶𝘹 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵, 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦. 

𝘐 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦.

"𝘖𝘩 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘬𝘢, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭... 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥..."

A wail from the infant bundled in my arms breaks me from my thoughts. Bloodhound pushes my bangs from my face and holds their arms out towards our weeping daughter, I gladly oblige them. As soon as she is in their arms they hold her close and rock her gently while singing an icelandic lullaby. I have no idea exactly what they are saying but their voice is so calm I find myself being lulled to sleep.

"That day vas perfect. But it could never compare to this." I giggle and yawn while stretching my legs out in the tiny hospital bed as they caress her cheek.

"Agreed, but at least it was much less painful." The cries die down, leaving the room silent once again.

"𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶..." 𝘐 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘻𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘪𝘭. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘩, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺.

"𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘭." 𝘈 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘬. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘱𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘣 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬.

"𝘔𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘺 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨...𝘐-𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳." 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘮 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘐 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯.

"My falleg kona, you keep spacing out." I shake the memories away and smile tiredly at them.

"I'm sorry."

"She is hungry, and vhile my finger is a great chew toy it does not provide sustenance." I nod in understanding as they transfer her back into my arms. I pop a few buttons on the gown and free my swollen (and leaking) breast. The baby latches on immediately, I hiss quietly in pain but soon sigh in relief as the soreness quickly fades.

"Do you need anything?" I hum in thought.

"Some water would be great." They lean forward and cup my cheek, I stare up into the dark lense of their mask.

"Anything for you."

"Oh, and one more thing before you go." They tilt their head in confusion.

"I love you."

"ég elska þig líka"

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩. 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳." 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴. 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘱𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 (𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴). 𝘞𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦. 

𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘥 (𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴).

The door to the room swings open, the hinges squeak loudly which makes our sleeping daughter flinch. I remove her from my breast and fix the gown properly. When everything is settled Bloodhound comes into the room with a glass of water, they leave it by the bedside as I gently pat the baby's back. She lets out a burp, I fight the urge to laugh as I gently rock her back to sleep.

"Are you still thinking about it?" They sit beside me and rub circles on her back.

"I'm just getting to the good parts." They hum in acknowledgement.

"The Allfather blessed our union vith this child. It vas fate," I smile at them," A sign that this vas meant to be."

"I agree."

"Ve are truly blessed. Perhaps ve should decide on a name now?" I nod excitedly.

"I've been doing some research, how would you feel about Astrid?"

"I think that is perfect. My beautiful little Astrid." They take her from my arms, she stays fast asleep as they hold her close.

"Thank you."

"It is I who should be thanking you, elska. Now rest beloved, ve vill be here vhen you vake up."

"Goodnight my loves."

"góða nótt."


End file.
